


Scenes from the Suburbs

by Anijade



Series: Forest for the Trees [2]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, OFC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2020-09-24 13:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 38,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20359078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anijade/pseuds/Anijade
Summary: In views from in-between the chapters





	1. Setting Boundaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie did promise to deal with Dean

It was late as Dean closed up the dealership for the night. It hadn’t been the worst day, but since the raid, the business hadn’t really recovered. Then some of the staff left because he had undone some of the changes Beth had put in stating they were frivolous.

This just meant he had to work harder with less. What was worse was Beth pushing the divorce. He had been convinced he’d be able to at least talk her into letting him stay in the house with her and the kids. His mom had told him it would just take a little time. But that she’d stay and forgive his mistakes.

His mom had been wrong. Once Beth had come out of the strange haze she'd been in, it was like she was a different person. One who had no time or interest in dealing with him. 

At first he figured, since she’d never had a real job in her life, it wouldn’t be long until she was out of money from her crime days and would be begging him to take her back. He knew the bounce house guy; the one who shot him was dead, so she wouldn’t find help there.

He hadn’t considered how popular her baked goods were. She had started out of the house but quickly found a storefront that just took off. Apparently his ex-wife actually had a head for business because it wasn’t long before she was able to afford a lawyer who wrote up an admittedly fair custody arrangement, considering she was able to prove not only his infidelity, but poor financial choices and the use of her credit. The lawyer his parents got him told him he was lucky, because she could have filed charges.

When the bakery took off, becoming wildly popular he had hoped to get some alimony from her, but their judge hadn’t seen it his way. Still he wasn’t paying child support so there was that. Life could be worse. 

He’d been surprised to hear from the kids that their mother was opening a second location. Where was she getting her capital? Of course he couldn’t ask the kids that, but they were happy talking about their new friend, Marcus and his dad who spent a lot of time with Beth. 

It wasn’t hard to decide to crash the opening. Dean didn’t get why she was so picky about him coming in through the back, but once again she was bitching about it how he wasn’t an owner or family. It really pissed him off.

Of course Annie had to put her two cents in, and Beth was yelling for him to get out when the man who shot him, the man she had told him was dead, came running down the stairs.

Dean saw red, here was the cause of all his misery with his wife. He started yelling at Beth, who yelled back at him and then threw up on him. It was so disgusting, but before he could even try to clean up, he was being muscled out through the back and he heard the door lock after him.

Tonight the kids were with Beth so at least he didn’t have to take care of things. Flipping on the light all his thoughts flew out of his head. Sitting behind his desk sat a petite black woman with two very large men standing on either side of her.

“Sit down Dean, we need to have a chat.”

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my office.”

“Who I am isn’t important. You, however have become an issue to me, and that’s never a good thing.”

Dean paled as she set a gun down in the middle of the desk.

“Sit down.” She said softly. There was something in her tone that made him comply.

“Thank you. Now, your behavior at Beth’s opening was wildly inappropriate.”

He opened his mouth to argue when she lifted a finger.

“I’m not finished. In fact, you’ve been making her miserable for a long time and I’m tired of it.”

“Did that bounce house guy send you? I knew she couldn’t possibly pull this off alone. How much is he paying you?”

The woman laughed, but was a bone chilling sound. “No one sends me anywhere. I’m here because you’ve upset my friend, and I don’t like my friends upset.”

He swallowed hard but didn’t say anything.

“Good, you’re not as stupid as you look.”

Dean felt the temperature in the room drop as she played with the gun on the desk letting it spin in his direction..

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to keep up your side of the custody agreement. Pick up will be at a public location. No more popping by the house or the bakeries.”

“I don’t want Him to be around my kids! He shot me!”

“He could have killed you but out of respect for your kids he didn’t. You should remember that.”

Dean shuddered the memory of that night. Before a rush bravery filled him. There was no way for her to force him. 

“And what if I don’t?”

The woman smirked. “Well if you make that choice I’ll be back with my associates here and we’re going to remind you, they're not big on talking. It will terribly unpleasant. But you’ll live, probably.” She said with a shrug. “If I have to come back, your choices will become very limited and I don’t think you’d enjoy that. But it’s up to you. Think it over.”

With that she stood up picked up the gun and walked around the desk before stopping in front of him. Putting the gun under his chin she lifted his head to face her.

“Make no mistake. I’d rather kill you. So much easier. But out of respect for for Beth who seems to think you’re a good father. I won’t.” She rolled her eyes.

“It’s your choice if I come back.” 

Heading to the door with her two men behind her, the only sound was liquid hitting the floor the scent of urine filling the air. She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“You should clean that up, Dean.” her parting words echoed through the empty dealership.”

  


Maggie and her associates


	2. Cleaning and Growing up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What led to Beth's clean kitchen

After putting Beth to bed, Rio entered the kitchen and discovered the disaster in the dining room. He could hear the kids in the tv room laughing and followed the sound.

In the tv room he found Marcus wrestling with Danny. The girls were playing with their toys and Kenny was doing something on his phone.

“So y’all don’t clear yo’ plates?” He asked.

The looks that came back to him were of confusion, except for Marcus who looked ashamed.

“Get your butts into the dining room and clear your plates.”

Marcus sprang into motion, but the rest looked like he had grown another head.

“Mom usually does that.” Kenny explained.

“Do I look like your mother?” 

Kenny shook his head.

“So if your ma's sick and goes to bed early y’all just leave a mess for her to wake up to? Disrespectful I’m telling you.”

The rest of the kids had the sense to now look ashamed and started to move.

“Come on, an’ I’ll show you how to clean your plates and load the dishwasher.”

Following him to the table, Marcus grabbed his plate scraped it into the trash before rinsing it and putting it in the dishwasher. He had managed to find the Tupperware drawer and was putting the leftovers away.

The other kids looked uncomfortable but followed his actions.

“For real y’all don’t help your mama around the house?”

“She’s always done it.” Danny told him. 

“Carman, er, your dad don’t help?”

All of them shook their heads.

“He always said taking care of the house was her job.”

Rio nodded, that sounded like something that dumbass would say. 

“Well that might have been the case in your old house,but your mama works real hard in that bakery to put food in your bellies. Wouldn’t hurt for you to say thank you and help clean up.”

“She’s never asked for help.” Kenny retorted but quickly backed down with a look from Rio.

“She shouldn’t have to. Y’all ain’t babies no more, you can help around the house.

Rio started wiping the counters and the kids started to silently clean up. 

Danny watched as Rio put the food in the fridge. “You do this at your house?”

“All the time little man. Don’t got a mama around to do it for me.”

“What about Marcus’s mom doesn’t she do it?” The soft question came from little Emma,

“Nah, sweetheart, we don’t live together no more. Just like your mama and daddy, sometimes it don’t work out.”

She flushed and ducked her head.

“I ain’t saying you got to do everything but it don’t hurt if y’all help her. Some day y’all be livin’ on your own. Should know how to do it.”

Once the kitchen was clean Rio started looking around to see what he could put together for lunches. When he turned around he found Kenny looking at him.

“You really do all this at your house?” He asked skeptically.

“For real and long before I was a daddy. My mama had better things to do than to be picking up after us. Part of bein' grown is helpin’ out. Your mama owns two businesses, runs around takin’ care of you guys with almost no help. Ain’t any wonder why she’s so tired and sick.”

Kenny frowned tonight was an uncomfortable revelation to the young man and Rio felt a little bad about being the one to rip the bandaid off.

“So what can I do to help?” He asked 

“Start by gettin’ up on time in the mornin’. Don’t make your mama pull you out of bed. Help your brother and sisters get ready. Make your mama a cup of tea.”

“She drinks coffee.”

_ Not anymore.  _ Rio thought.

“I think tomorrow that tea over there would be better in case her stomach still upset.”

Kenny nodded still a bit confused.

“Why has she never asked for help?”

The question made Rio sigh loudly. “Cause your mama is stubborn and doesn’t like to ask. That’s why you gotta step up an’ just help her. She’ll wear herself out tryin’ to do it all herself.”

That made sense to the young man. The divorce had changed so much but his mom was always there, taking care of everything they wanted. Sure dad was fun but he didn’t do much.

Rio finished packing lunches and put them in the fridge as Kenny just watched him

“Do you still have homework, lil’ man?”

Kenny shrugged. “It’s math and I don’t get it.” He admittedly sheepishly.

“Go get it, an’ I’ll help you at the table.”

He watched as the kid ran off and shook his head. The playground didn’t get any easier and more changes were on their way.

  
  
  
  



	3. Musings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth takes time to think about an addition to the family

Pregnant, she was freaking pregnant again! Beth laid in bed in the early morning after taking the test with Rio the night before. She could hear him breathing next to her making snuffles in his sleep. He wasn’t wrong they hadn’t thought about protection at any point in their arrangement whatever that was. Even before the shooting the sex had been less than fully protected. Apparently they had been lucky then.

All night dreams had chased her. In the beginning it was the PTA moms laughing at her at having a baby at her age with a younger man. It morphed into having brunch with Ruby and Annie who were telling her this was a bad idea. Next up was her mother-in-law who was oddly with Claudia berating her for being so careless.

Rio rolled over draping an arm on her and she remembered the part of the dream that featured him. They had been sitting at the table and he had a bag with him. He looked sheepish as he told her this was just bad timing for them

_ “This ain’t goodbye Elizabeth, I just gotta go handle business. I’ll be back long before the baby gets here.” _

Even thinking about the dream made her re-experience the panic in the dream causing her breath to catch waking Rio slightly.

“What’s up Mama? It’s real early.”

Beth stroked his arm lightly. “Nothing, it’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

He huffed a little and relaxed falling back into that twilight sleep. Allowing Beth to continue musing her dreams. Logically she knew this was just her fears coming to the surface. Maybe even why she hadn’t sussed out what was wrong with her earlier than pretty much everyone else. 

_ If I do this my oldest child will be a teenager and my youngest a newborn. Who does this? I must be crazy! _

She must have drifted bad to sleep because she found herself sitting at the bakery feeling like a hurricane had hit her. There was mess everywhere, customers yelling for service and kids everywhere. 

Everywhere she looked was covered in flour and sugar. She caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the fridge and gasped. Her hair was standing on end and she had a smear of butter on her cheek. She was in her pjs covered by an apron that was covered in cocoa powder. She was a complete and utter disaster! 

When she went to the front of the shop the disaster continued. Annie was being inappropriate with a customer. Some child was playing with the espresso machine and customers weren’t being served!

She woke up with a gasp loud enough to stir Rio.

“Elizabeth, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Beth took a couple of cleansing breaths to get her heart to stop racing.

“I am forty-three years old what am I doing thinking about having a baby? “

“That’s what you’re worried about? Your age? Mama, women have been having babies at your age for a while. I bet you could find a group on FaceBook full of women pregnant in their forties if you need someone to talk to about it.”

He scooted closer to her so he could pull her into his arms. “The only thing you should be wonderin’ about is if you want a baby at forty-three.”

Beth shrugged, “What about you? Are you wanting to do this again? Marcus is fully independent, you’re raising him well with Claudia, now it’s like starting over.”

She sighed. Her last pregnancies had been rough leading to postpartum depression. 

“Marcus has been asking for a brother or sister for the last two years and Claudia ain’t doing it again. So will it be a lot of work, yes. Am I curious as to what kinda baby you and I’d make yeah. I’m thirty-five almost thirty-six ain’t a bad time to be doing this.”

Looking over at Rio, Beth could see that he was serious. “‘Sides, I didn’t do it right with Marcus. I was pissed with Claudia being pregnant. Not in my plans back then. I didn’t see his ultrasound or nothin’ I’d like to be involved this time.”

“I had a really bad depression last time after… Dean said that’s why he started cheating again because I had lost interest.”

“Carman don’t count, he was cheating before you got pregnant right?”

Beth gave him a tight nod. “You being pregnant or not interested in sex isn’t what made him cheat. Him bein’ a dumbass made him cheat. Him bein’ an idiot is why he was surprised you didn’t care for that. I ain’t like that. Besides since we know, we talk to the doctor about it an’ get ahead of it.”

She realized he was probably right. Logically she knew Dean hadn’t cheated because she wasn’t interested in sex since he had never asked her about it just found another place to put his dick like he had before her last pregnancy. 

“You’re right I’m being ridiculous. It’s that I like my life now. I like what I’ve created at Queen of Tarts I like working with you. This baby will change everything.”

“Well you do more than just work with me, Ma. That’s how we got into this situation but I'm glad you like it.” Rio snarked. “Who’s to say this baby isn’t gonna make things better? You know Emma would love a younger sibling and we know Marcus would. The other kids will come around.”

Just thinking about what Kenny would think made her gut clench. He was the child who held onto how it had been before, probably because he had the most memories of when things were good and Dean saw Kenny as an extension of himself pushing him into things he might not choose for himself.

“This baby could be that last piece to makin’ things perfect.” Rio told her with a yawn as he rolled over to try and sleep some more.

She was slowly coming to terms with the idea of being pregnant maybe this time it would be different. Suddenly her stomach did a familiar lurch and she launched herself for the bathroom. One thing she couldn’t wait to be over was the morning sickness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since its a holiday ya'll get an extra chapter here and in Moving in Slow Motion
> 
> Thank you to DropKickDisco, Goldfishangie, HereLiesBethBoland, and Lunafeather


	4. Food For Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie and Eddie end their night post chapter 24

It was a little strange walking through the supermarket with Eddie. Thankfully they weren’t at Fine and Frugal where her former colleagues could see and comment. He moved through the store with familiarity, putting various items in their cart.

“So I take it you cook a lot?” Annie ventured. Eddie gave her an incredulous look.

“Are you saying you don’t cook?” 

“Umm I can make mac and cheese from a box, heat up soup, throw a lasagna into the over. Does that count?”

“No, how did you get this far in life without cooking?”

Annie shrugged, “Beth sends me leftovers a lot. When Sadie is at his dad’s, I eat cereal.”

He nodded as he put more things in the cart.

“Ok then, tonight I am going to teach you a basic meal you can eat that has all the basic food groups. Because you shouldn’t be eating all the processed food, it ain’t healthy.”

Annie gave a dramatic sigh but agreed curious as to what he would come up with. Groceries bought they headed back to Annie’s apartment.

Opening the door, Annie peeked inside first to make sure it was neat enough for guests. Thankfully her counters were clear and the sink empty. Heading inside she made a quick grab for the bra that was on the back of the couch.

“Ok dude, kitchen is that way. Where do we start?”

Eddie started unpacking the groceries. 

“Ok to start, pour us both a glass of wine. Cooking is easier if you’re relaxed.”

Grinning, Annie pulled out wine glasses and poured them each a glass of the zinfandel he had selected.

“You know I’m not usually a wine person. Tequila works just fine.”

“The wine will enhance the meal if you still need to catch a buzz after I’m sure you have enough booze here.”

She laughed as she took a sip of the wine. It was a little dry but on the whole not awful. “So what’s next.”

“Next is we’re going to turn the oven on. Anything in there we should pull out?”

She flushed as she remembered she had stuck some pots in there due to a storage shortage. 

“Yeah, let me grab those. Good catch.”

He shook his head as he started to unwrap the chicken breasts. Once she had relocated the pots Eddie instructed her to set the temperature to 350. Oven on, he showed her how to season the chicken with salt and pepper and a little paprika. He did the first one and then had her copy on the other 3 pieces of chicken.

After that he put a frying pan on the stove melting a pat of butter before putting in the chicken.

“Why don’t you put a pot on to boil for the pasta? Don’t forget to add salt and olive oil.”

“Why am I putting salt in the water?” she asked having never done that before.

“Two reasons, you want to add flavour to the pasta and it increases the boiling point of water making it hotter when we put the pasta in.”

For the next twenty minutes, Eddie instructed her on putting the seared chicken in the over before they started the mushroom and sherry cream sauce. 

Once the sauce was complete and the pasta boiled, Eddie leaned back on the counter.

“Not so hard right? You managed to make a whole meal that wasn’t frozen. Without your sister.”

“I guess, it wasn’t too bad but I had a good teacher.”

“Why didn’t your sister or mom teach you how to cook? You were married right? What did ya’ll eat?”

Just thinking about her mom made Annie reach for her glass.

“Welp, my mom wasn’t/ isn’t around much. Our dad took off when I was little and she just shut down.” She told him with an unconvincing shrug.

“Beth’s been taking care of me most of my life. I guess we never got out of those roles. Gregg was fine with take out but we were so young when Sadie was born not a clue as to what good food was.”

Eddie listened and nodded. “Don’t you think that might be some of your problems now? You’re worried that Beth won’t still take care of you?”

She scrunched up her face and looked away. 

“She shouldn’t have to take care of you anymore. As much as she wants to, it’s not healthy for either of you.”

Annie moved out of the kitchen glass in hand and flopped onto the couch. Eddie followed her sitting on the other side.

“I’m not saying don’t be there for each other but you both need space. She’s been taking care of you for a long time. Show her the effort was worth it.”

Eddie couldn’t tell if Annie was thinking or shutting down when she finally spoke.

“What if I mess up that I’m no good at taking care of myself. I’m not like Beth who has it all together. Or like Ruby who has a good support system “

He laughed lightly. “ You think that doing things for yourself means they won’t be there for you? Come on now you know better. Besides no one has it all together. Have you seen your sister? Sure she’s got everything moving but she doesn’t have it together. Hell, she spent most of her life with that dumbass ex-husband.”

Annie realized that Eddie did have a point. Beth was good at making things seem like they were ok even if they were a mess.

“True, besides I’m not a total mess. I pay my bills, and Sadie isn’t totally messed up either.”

“See? Just cut the apron strings, show Beth you can handle things and maybe help her out. If she is pregnant, think about how much is going to be on her plate. Her kids, the bakeries, the business and a baby? Let her know you’re taking yourself off that plate and you want to support her.”

The kitchen timer went off and Eddie stood up and offered Annie a hand.

“You know this isn’t how I thought our evening would go.” She told him.

“I have many layers, don’t mean I’m not interested, but I am hungry.”

After eating, Annie had to admit that cooking might be a little less daunting and acknowledged she should eat better.

Settling back on the couch instead of being on opposite ends this time Eddie sat in the middle, letting his arm rest on the back behind Annie.

“So what should we do with the rest of our evening?”

Annie played with her fingers. “Oh I don’t know, we could watch a movie, or do shots.” she gave him a sly grin.

“I’m passin’ on the shots we don’t need them, but a movie and who knows, might be a start.” He told her with a wink.

Reaching for the remote, Annie turned on the TV and put Netflix on. All in all it probably wouldn’t be a bad night.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for DropkickDisco, and HereLiesBethBoland for reviewing


	5. Pulling back the curtain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh that Dean, such a dumbass

Dean listened to the kids chatter in the back seat. He wasn’t really paying attention to but he kind of wondered what they were so excited about. As he put a frozen pizza into the oven he turned to Kenny who was doing his homework.

“Hey kiddo, what are your brother and sisters so excited about?”

Kenny gave him a slight shrug. “Not much just stuff at home.”

Dean frowned it wasn’t like Kenny to be so cagey. “What do you mean? What’s going on at home?” He asked easily.

Sighing Kenny looked up at him. “Just stuff, why are you asking?” 

“You know I like keeping an eye on things making sure your mom’s ok.” Dean replied with an easy grin.

“I don’t think it’s right to ask me. You should just ask mom yourself.”

“What’s the big deal? Your mom and I don’t have secrets. You can tell me.” Dean joked.

Kenny thought about and was about to say something when Jane ran in still excited.

“Daddy did you hear? We’re having a baby!”

Dean face froze. “A baby! Wow that is exciting. Whose having a baby? You?” Part of him prayed this was a game of hers. 

“No silly! Mama is having a baby with Mr.Rio!”

“She is? That is big news.” He told her tightly.

Dinner was tense for the rest of the night, not that the younger kids noticed. They headed to bed easily, but when Kenny came out to get a glass of water he found his dad sitting at the table looking stunned.

“I can’t believe your mother is having a baby with that criminal!”

Kenny frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Dean paused for half a second but greater forces compelled him.

“Your Mother’s boy toy is a criminal. He’s the reason we got divorced!”

Kenny did remember Rio being around before the divorce but after the separation. 

“Are you sure about that?”

“Of course I’m sure! I could have gotten her to forgive me if he hadn’t shown up.”

“But why are you saying he’s a criminal?”

“Have you seen that tattoo? Only criminals get those things. How does he afford anything if he can’t get a job.”

“Rio has a job, he owns a bar and a restaurant. He took us there for lunch.”

Dean’s face screwed up. “Whatever, that’s just what they tell you. I bet he’s really into drugs. He got your mother into crime too!”

Now Kenny was really confused, he knew his mother wasn’t a criminal and he didn’t understand why his dad would say this to him.

“Why are you being like this?”

“I just hate seeing your mother being taken advantage of. She’s going to lose everything being with him.”

Kenny felt a tightness in his chest that often came when his dad talked about his mom. He couldn’t tell what was true and what wasn’t. Mom never made him feel like this. Didn’t ask about what his dad was doing.

“Why are you so mean to her? The bakery is doing great and she’s happy!”

“Of course she’s happy she got everything she wanted, and I’m here just scraping by because of her!”

Dean’s face was read and drawn, Kenny had only seen his face like that on the nights he had heard his parents fighting. 

“You should ask them what they really do for a living. I didn’t want you around that man and his criminal activities but your mom seems to think he’s harmless. Even though he shot me!”

“He shot you? When?”

Finally better grace filled Dean and he clammed up. “You should ask your mother, since she’s the happy one.”

With a sour stomach Kenny got his water and went back to bed. The next day he still felt sick. At school he wasn’t able to concentrate and finally asked for a pass for the nurse. The nurse told him he wasn’t running a fever but then he was sick on the floor so he got her to call his mom. While he waited, he wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her. His dad’s venomous words still ran through his head.

In the car Kenny was quieter than usual. At first Beth assumed it was because he wasn’t feeling well but when he pulled away from her as they walked in the house she suspected it was something else.

“Kenny, would you like some tea and crackers for your tummy?”

“I don't want anything. I’m going to go lay down.” he muttered

“Ok sweetie, I’ll come check on you in a couple of minutes.”

As he walked upstairs Beth went into the kitchen while texting Annie and Ruby

**B: Not sure what happened at Dean’s but Kenny’s home upset**

**A: Stupid Dean probably said something stupid to him**

**R: Do you think Dean really said something to Kenny?**

**B: Kenny’s mentioned that Dean asks about me so it’s possible**

**A: Dunno he’s a dick**

Beth also shot Rio a text letting her know she was home with Kenny.

In the kitchen Beth grabbed a can of ginger ale and a packet of crackers and took them upstairs. As she entered Kenny’s room she found him just sitting there on the edge of the bed.

“Hey sweetie, I brought you some crackers just in case. The ginger ale is for fun.” She teased lightly but he didn’t respond.

“Want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

Kenny took a deep breath before looking up at Beth and the pain in his eyes hurt her heart.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Are you and Rio really criminals?”

The question knocked the breath out of Beth and she dropped the packet of crackers on the floor as she walked over to him, crouching in front of him.

“Is that what your dad told you?”

Kenny nodded mournfully.

“Mr Rio and I are business partners, he helped us expand the bakery and you’ve been to his restaurant. That’s all there is to it.”

“Dad said that Rio was the reason you got divorced, that you would have forgiven him if you hadn’t met Rio.”

Beth frowned, the conversation she was going to have with Dean was going to be very unpleasant. “Now we both know that’s not true. Your dad and I separated for the first time long before I ever met Rio. Our problems had nothing to do with Rio, Rio wasn’t even around when we finally got divorced, remember?”

She brushed a lock of hair from his face hoping she didn’t look angry. Kenny nodded, that made sense and it was what he remembered.

“Yeah, you’re right. But why did he say that Rio shot him?”

Beth nearly choked hearing what Dean had told their son. Before she could answer though another voice joined them.

“I can answer that question mama, if you like?”

Beth just nodded, her mind reeling with anger towards Dean. She didn’t have an answer that was suitable for Kenny, but it was just like Dean to light a firecracker and toss it in her lap. She watched as Rio sat next to Kenny on the bed. Standing up Beth moved away from both of them so they could talk.

“You know how moms and dads sometimes hurt each other say mean things, do mean things?”

Kenny nodded. 

“So before I met your mom, your dad did some mean things and she asked him to leave. Then he made her take him back by tellin’ her a lie. She found out about the lie about the same time, she and I had a fight and she did something to get me in trouble. I was really mad at her for tryin’ to get me into trouble so I headed over to your place and ran into your dad. He and I had words. “

Rio cleared his throat trying to find a way to put the whole incident in a way that a kid could understand and not feel like he had to pick sides.

“When your mom got home she and I had another fight and I was so mad at what she had done; that it could have taken me away from Marcus that I shot your dad so she would understand what he could have gone through.”

Kenny froze up. This wasn’t what he had thought he would be told, but part of him appreciated that they were telling him the truth.

“Now I ain’t saying what I did was right but that’s what happened. Your mom and I worked out our issues and I decided we needed a bit o’ space so I went away. While I was gone your mom and dad decided to split up for good because they felt it was best for all of you.”

His brain was buzzing. “You really shot him?” Rio gave him a tight nod, and when he looked over to his mom she was crying. 

“Why didn’t the police come and get you?”

Rio shrugged. “None of us told the cops because there were other things your mom and dad didn’t want gettin’ out in public, so we made our peace and tried to move on.”

Kenny laid back on the bed taking deep breaths and Beth was immediately by his side. “Honey is there anything I can do to explain this better?”

He shook his head silently. Part of him was mad that Rio had shot his dad, but he was mad at his dad too, for lying to him. 

“Ok lil’ man why don’t you get some rest and if you want to talk we’ll be here.”

Kenny closed his eyes as they left his room. In the hallway he could hear them talking in hushed voices.

“I can’t believe Dean would do this!”

“I tol’ you carman ain’t trustworthy.”

“What could he have hoped to gain by this? I’m not going back to him. After all he put me through I have never badmouthed him to the kids. They have no idea all he did.”

Kenny creeped out of bed and listened through the crack in the door.

“All the cheating, the lies, losing all of our savings, nearly losing the dealership again and he thinks our marriage ended because you and I got together?”

“Look ma, the man’s grasping at straws tryin’ to stay important to his kids. I ain’t sayin’ he went about it the right way or nothin’ but he’s desperate.”

Beth sighed as Rio pulled her into a hug. “It’s gonna be ok mama, I promise. Do you want me to talk to Dean.”

Snorting Beth shook her head. “Yeah that would be a bad idea. I’ll talk to him.”

They headed down the stairs and Kenny crawled into bed to think. At least he knew his mother would always tell him the truth. Even Rio had told him the truth. His dad lied to them a lot. It was too much to process as he fell asleep.

Driving to the dealership Beth fumed. “How dare he!”

She stomped her way to the office and swung the door open. Unsurprisingly he was in there with the current young secretary. 

“You get out.” Beth pointed to the door and the young woman rushed out. Turning her sights on Dean, Beth felt this cold rage fill her. Dean shrank back seeing the furious look on her face as she approached him.

“How dare you tell Kenny that the divorce was Rio fault! Is that the best you can do is try and poison your son!”

“He shot me Beth! Kenny should know he’s a criminal.”

“For the last time Rio is not a criminal. The feds had to drop the case due to lack of evidence. That agent was even reprimanded for faking evidence. Rio’s a business owner like you and I. You just don’t like the fact that I picked him over you!”

“I don’t care what the feds could prove, I know he’s a criminal and he shouldn’t be around my kids! Stick to that bastard you’re carrying.”

Then it all made sense. One of the kids must have told him she was pregnant. Beth groaned since she had been hoping to tell him first.

“Is that what this is about? That I’m having his baby?”

“What are people going to say about you having that man’s baby!”

“What do you care what people say about me? We’re . Not . Married. Anymore!” The frustration just rolled off her in waves.

“His son goes to the same school our kids go to. Far as anyone knows there we’re just two single parents who found it worked. People don’t have to be married to have kids together. “

“And what about when he finds a younger model? Gets over his taste for strange. You’re going to be stuck with that kid on your own.” Dean asked spitefully.

“You mean like you did? Maybe he does. I survived you, if I need to I’ll survive him too. I have a successful business that pays our bills and makes me happy. Fuck with that, Dean and your children will know exactly what kind of man you really are.”

With that Beth turned on her heel and stomped out. She was done with dealing with his shit. If he kept it up she would speak to her lawyer and find out what her options were. She had to go home and fix the mess he had made, again. Story of her life, but not for much longer.

At the dealership Dean sat in his chair and wondered how his life had gone so wrong. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Dropkick, HereLiesBethBoland and Goldfishangie


	6. Truth or Consequences v Crime and Punishment: Maggie and Dean part deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Dean we did warn you

Dean was walking through the parking lot planning a visit to the bar with a couple of guys. After the week he had had with the kids he was tired. The younger kids had kept asking if Kenny was coming back and when they were told he wasn’t, they wanted to go back home to their mother. 

It had been a relief texting Beth telling her the kids wanted to come home. In hindsight he did feel bad dumping all that on Kenny. He was still a kid but the truth was good for everyone. It bothered him though that Kenny hadn’t wanted to come back. He’d have to schedule some father/son time to get back on track.

He was so lost in his thoughts he barely noticed the dark van pulling up next to him until the door opened and two men jumped out putting a dark hood over his head and dragged him in with barely a scream.

There were several blows to the head and ribs during the ride and Dean nearly wet himself as he was pulled out and strung up. He had no idea where he was and who would do this? That bounce house guy did cross his mind.

When the hood was pulled off his head, Dean found himself hanging by his wrists in a warehouse. He blinked wildly under the fluorescent lights.

“What’s going on!” he yelled out.

A quiet but firm voice directed his vision to the center of a room where he could see the woman who had threatened him at the dealership sitting on a high back chair like it was a throne.

“Well Dean, I believe I was really clear about not making Beth miserable, but apparently you just couldn’t help yourself.” she commented as she stood and started walking over to the corner where he was hanging.

“So like I promised there are going to be consequences.”

It was then that Dean noticed a table near him with a tray that was covered by a cloth. The woman removed the cloth to reveal various tools, including an ice pick and shears. First she picked up a tire iron.

“I think that you are a man who rarely has to take responsibility for his actions. That’s going to change tonight and I hope that in the future we don’t meet again.”

It felt like ice water was going through his veins and Dean hung there for a moment before he started to struggle.

“You can’t do this! As soon as I’m free I’ll go to the cops and report it. They’ll find you!”

The woman seemed unimpressed. “And what are you going to tell them? That you were grabbed from your parking lot, by unknown assailants, taken somewhere you don’t know and beaten within an inch of your life.”

“I can tell them you are an associate of that Rio!” He told her defiantly.

She chuckled. “You could, but it wouldn’t be true. The police aren’t complete idiots.”

The sound of a door closing in the back caught his attention and he watched with horror as the two men who had been with her at the dealership approached them.

“Now these two gentlemen are going to discuss with you the repercussions of hurting your son and your ex-wife. Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking telling him all that.”

“He deserved to know what kind of person his mother and her boy toy are.” Dean snarled.

“Did you tell him what kind of person you are at the same time? Even out the playing field.” She asked passively.

He went red at the idea of his son knowing how he had cheated and lied hurting his wife.

“What I did didn’t affect him.” Dean asserted.

“Oh no? You don’t think that the disrespect you showed your ex-wife wasn’t being passed on to your children. That they were learning to take their mother for granted like you did?”

“She was my wife! It was her job to take care of us!”

“And what was she supposed to do once you had mortgaged your house three times and used up all of your savings?”

“I would have handled it!”

The woman shook her head and tutted. “You tell yourself that, but if it hadn’t been for Beth, your children would have no roof over their heads and no food in their stomachs. You are a waste of space Dean, and Beth’s lucky not to have you in her life anymore. Or at least not more than necessary.”

She handed the tire iron to the larger man who stood about 6’5 and all muscle. 

“Don’t kill him. Just help him understand how his actions affect others. I’d start with the knees.”

Dean whined as he watched both men inspect the tools. He was wiggling when the shorter man turned and punched him in the gut knocking the wind out of him. The taller one took the tire iron to his knees.

The woman walked back to her chair to watch the men take turns using him as a punching bag.

After a while Dean was completely in a haze, he could barely see with both eyes swollen. He was pretty sure one of his ribs were cracked. The men had stopped and it was an effort to raise his head, but when he did, he could see the woman still sitting there but now she was looking at her phone.

Groaning he tried to talk. “Why would you do this for her?”

His voice caught the woman’s attention and she stood up walking towards him shaking her head sadly.

“What you don’t get is you had a very loyal wife, loyalty is inspiring. Even after everything you did, the cheating, lying, destruction of your finances. She never spoke badly about you to your children. Not a lot of wives or ex-wives would do that. But you couldn't handle that she didn’t want to be with you anymore.”

“She could have forgiven me.” he groaned back. 

The woman nodded. “She could have, but why should she? You didn’t stop cheating. You didn’t stop lying.”

“That’s what wives do, that’s what my mother did.”

“Does Beth look like your mother? You took advantage of her need for security and family and put her in a cage. And when she discovered how disloyal you were you wanted to punish her for wanting better. She’s found better, Dean.”

“He’s a criminal, how is that better!” he spat as blood dripped from his lips.

“He doesn’t use her, lie to her or cheat on her. You think because your crime is more tolerated in society it makes you better?

She put her finger to her chin like she was thinking. “Did you know that adultery is a felony in the state of Michigan? Oh and that ID theft using her credit to bolster the dealership that one time after you had destroyed your own. Also a felony. All Beth did was choose the criminal who treated her better.” she informed him

Rolling her shoulders the woman cracked her neck.

“So here we are, back at the choices section of the evening.” She mimed like she was a sales girl on the Price is Right. “Like I said last time, they’re going to be even more limited than before since you can’t appreciate what you have. Like before you will not go to Beth’s house or the bakeries. If your kids don’t want to use their time with you, you’ll let it go. Maybe you’ll earn their trust back some day. On top of that you should consider leaving Michigan, start over somewhere else. I might even make you a good offer on the dealership.” she suggested with a laugh.

The pain was starting to return as the nerves in his body started to wake up . Dean started coughing as blood ran down his throat. The woman nodded to the men who proceeded to take him off the hook letting him fall to the ground.

“My boys are going to drop you off near a hospital. I suggest you say were mugged and dumped. But if you don’t, that’s ok, there's no one you can blame this on other than an unknown woman and her associates.”

“I’ll make them look at Beth, they’ll find out about her criminal activities.”

The woman cocked her head looking at him with curiosity. “What makes you think she’s still involved with criminal activity anyway?”

“Bounce house guy is back, that’s reason enough but she couldn’t have bought those bakeries without help.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “So it never occured to you that your ex-wife has a talent for business and is an amazing baker? Just think about how good you could have had it if you had seen her as more than a baby making machine. Or is it that you don’t like successful women? They make you feel even more inadequate as a man?” she asked with a pout.

“I can’t imagine how Beth’s eyes were opened once she got a partner who actually listened to her, believed in her. Not to mention actually knew how to fuck her. The fact that you have four children is pretty much amazing, since I doubt you’re a considerate lover. No wonder Beth never looked back at you. She was finally free of the prison you put her in.”

“Some prison, I gave her a home and four kids and took her away from her nut job of a mother. I tolerated her bratty sister. I did that! Her life was pretty good.” he yelled from the floor. It was getting harder to breath.

“Pretty good, until the truth was revealed and she discovered that she had been living a lie for a long time. I know you told her there were only four women, but it’s more that that, right Dean?”

He groaned, letting his head fall to the ground as he rolled onto his back. “What does it matter now? She’s not coming back.”

The woman crouched down next to him, looking down at him. “You're finally starting to be honest with yourself. This is your last chance Dean. If I have to come back, nothing Beth says will save your life. Do you understand?”

He managed to nod before he passed out. When Dean awoke he was on the side of the road near the entrance of an emergency room. Someone must have already seen him because he could make out people running towards him with a gurney. The woman’s words ran through his head. It was over, he was done there was no getting things back to how they were.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to DropKick, Goldfishangie and HereLiesBethBoland


	7. Behind the Blindfold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny and Maggie have a chat

Kenny’s mind buzzed as he listened to his mother tell them all that their house had been set on fire. While he could tell his mother wasn’t lying about it not having something to do with his dad, he could tell that she wasn’t being completely honest but figured it was because she wanted to protect the younger kids. He decided that he needed better answers and he knew where to find them. Slipping out of the apartment he went down a floor and knocked on the door.

Maggie was instructing a couple of her guys on the surveillance she wanted them to start on, when a knock caught her attention. She paused before walking over to the door and opening it. To her surprise she found Kenny on the other side.

She had always had a fondness for Beth’s kids. They had been through a lot with their parents' nonsense, but they were good kids albeit very spoiled. Still she only wanted good things for them and they'd had a pretty traumatic night.

“Hey Kenny, what can I do for you? Your mom know you’re down here?”

He shook his head, hair flopping and Maggie made a note to remind Beth to get it cut.

“I need to talk to you and you have to tell the truth.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow.

“Well I can do my best but there are somethings I’m just not going to tell you for your own protection.”

She looked over at her guys and waved them out. They could get coffee downstairs or something.

Leading Kenny to the desk she offered him a seat.

“So what’s on your mind?”

“Do you know what happened to my house?"

“I have an idea of what happened, but nothing has been confirmed yet.” she told him carefully.

“Does it have anything to do with what happened to my dad?”

Maggie paused, they were now getting into a very sensitive area.

“No, this had nothing to do with what happened to your dad. These are two very different situations. But you know we’re going to make sure you and your brother and sisters are going to stay safe, right?”

He cocked his head studying her face and Maggie knew that under his selfish exterior there was a smart kid under there.

“What’s your next question?”

Kenny paused he didn’t want to question what his mom and Rio told him but he needed to be sure. 

“Did my mom or Rio do something to my dad?”

Maggie shook her head causing the bells in her dreads to chime.

“No, baby they had nothing to do with what happened to your dad. They found out after the fact, but I’ll be honest your dad brought it on himself.”

His face scrunched in confusion. “I don’t understand what did he do? He’s always telling us that he’s a good guy and that he’s there for us and mom even though she doesn’t love him anymore.”

There it was the crossroads, how much could a twelve year old process?

“Well Kenny, your parents' split was rough, you know that, you were there. And there were a lot of factors involved.”

“Does this have anything to do with dad telling me mom and Rio are criminals?”

Maggied let out a loud sigh. 

“See, he shouldn’t be telling you things like that. It’s not right. His issues with your mom and Rio should never touch you. I know your mom isn’t the type to bad mouth your dad. But you must have noticed your dad isn’t always a good guy.”

Kenny hesitated before he nodded. “He can’t seem to let mom go even after the divorce. He tells us they’ll get back together and we’ll be a family again, but mom says that isn’t true.”

Maggie gave him a careful look. “And what do you think?”

He chewed his lip as he thought. “I think that he wants things to be how it was, but I don’t think we can do that. Too much has changed and mom is having another baby.”

He thought about it further. “But I don’t think that even without the baby, she wanted to go back. She seems happy again. Like before, but without dad.”

Maggie nodded. “That’s a real good assessment and I’m glad to see you thinking for yourself. You should do that all the time no matter what anyone tells you. Trust your gut.”

Kenny preened under Maggie’s praise. “I can do that.”

There was another question he wanted to ask but at the same time he didn’t want to know the answer.

Maggie watched the turmoil on his face as she grabbed her phone and shot Beth a text to let her know Kenny was ok.

“Will the police get the people who burned my house?”

Maggie frowned at his question. “I don’t know. I do know that I’m working with some people who are looking for the people who burned down your house. They’re pretty good at that.”

His eyes went to the door her men had left through. “The guys who were just here?”

She nodded, “They are some of them, but I have several people looking for answers.”

There more there behind his eyes and his young brain was just twisting trying to make sense of everything that had happened in the past week.

Finally he asked. “Is my mom a criminal?”

Maggie had never believed in lying to a child. She had never lied to her own children but she had protected them, shielded them from the truth on numerous occasions until she thought they were old enough to understand. So instead of answering his question she asked him a question.

“Do you think your mom is a good person?”

Kenny nodded wondering what that had to do with anything

“And you know sometimes people do things to take care of their families because that’s the most important thing?

He nodded again.

“Then know your mother is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you and your siblings have everything you need. That’s what’s important.”

It wasn’t a complete answer but Kenny felt he knew what he needed to know. 

“Thanks Maggie, I appreciate you telling me the truth.”

“Any time kiddo. You know things are going to change around here right? We’re not going to let you run around without some kind of security until we get to the bottom of things. Think you can help me with your brothers and sisters make sure they don’t slip their guard?

Kenny nodded, “I can do that. You’re really going to have people following us around?”

Maggie laughed as she nodded. “That’s right. There is nothing that your mother, Rio or I would do to make sure you stay safe. Nothing.”

It made him think. While his dad was pretty fun and gave them things he didn’t give him the sense of security he always had with his mom.

“Why is my dad like this? Mom doesn’t say bad things about him. She doesn’t really talk about him at all.”

I don’t know honey, I think that he got so used to doing whatever he wanted and your mother was always there, he took it for granted that she would always be there. But there are somethings in a marriage that are hard to forgive and he broke one of those. And rather than just suffering in silence, your mom decided she wanted to be happy and you kids make her happy.”

“Thanks Maggie, this helped. A lot. I should go back upstairs and make sure mom doesn’t need anything.”

“You do that sweetheart, but I don’t want you worrying about anything. You have a whole army of folk here to protect you.”

Kenny waved as he left the second floor office and headed back upstairs. Maggie had given him a lot to think about, but first he wanted to hug his mom. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to DropkickDisco, Goldfishangie and HereLiesBethBoland


	8. In the Dead of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Business is rough

Leaving Elizabeth was hard, the last couple of days had been so excruciating starting from when he had gotten that call letting him know that the warehouse was on fire. Instinctively, he had known she’d been targeted too. Thankfully she hadn’t argued for once and everyone was safe. It was still strange to him how much their weird little family meant to him. 

When Marcus had been born, Rio hadn’t known how much he could love another person. He and Claudia might not have been suited, but their son was well loved. But even before knowing about the new baby, Rio had found himself wanting to make sure Elizabeth’s children were alright. Starting with that damned dubby.

It didn’t matter now, they were in this together and right now things were a mess. When he had gone to see the house and the dealership that night he couldn’t believe the damage. His warehouse would be ok after a good cleaning, but there was nothing salvageable in the house and he dreaded showing it to her.

As he drove with Avlies and Bullet, Rio reminded himself to stay focused. He now had even more to lose should something happen. 

Arriving to the drop point he recognized his counterparts from the cartel. Giving them a tight nod, he met with their leader Ramon to decide where they were headed.

“Ok, here’s what we know. Triad, BFM and associates have all been targeted. The Jamaicans too, they’re working with the Bratva on their side of the city. The plan is to roust and surveil the area that looks open in our territory but really isn’t."

“Right, right, why don’t I take North West and you take North East. We can get it done and be home before breakfast.”

Ramon, shrugged. “Works for me, you got the list?”

Rio gave a tight nod. “We’ll fan out and report what we see.” He pulled out what looked like a detailed map of locations that could be vulnerable. It still angered him to see the location of her house and dealership crossed out.”

As they talked they pointed out places they needed to talk to people for leads . There was still something bothering him that he couldn’t pin down about everything that had happened. “What do you think, Ramon? Who’s supportin’ these clowns?”

Ramon shrugged. “Notta clue man, they're cagey in what they know. It’s weird, almost feels like they had inside information.”

As Ramon said it, it resounded in Rio, inside information. There should have been no way to tie Elizabeth to this she was too far down the ladder, yet her house had been targeted. On the slim side of dealership being known there wasn’t any proof. Who would know to go after her?

“Feels the same to me brother. Can’t have our families at risk. “

Ramon gave a look. “That house? One of yours.”

He chewed his bottom lip as he nodded. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.” He wasn’t going to volunteer more information ally or not.

“Just gotta make sure it don’t happen again.”

From the corner of his eye he noticed one of Ramon’s guys appear antsy and watched as he called another of his guys to check something out. Their movement had him activate Aviles to check the perimeter.

Whatever had caught their attention must have been unimportant because all three men came back calmly. That calm lasted for maybe five seconds before he watched Ramon’s guy get shot in the back of the head going down hard. Aviles ducked and started running towards him while Ramon’s other guy tried to drag his buddy to safety. 

More shots rang out and Rio saw the other cartel guy get hit in the back but not fall, he had to let his friends body drop to get behind a tree. Both Rio and Ramon hit the ground as well guns drawn trying to locate where the shooter was. 

“Do you see anythin’?”

“Just a muzzle flash over there but I can’t tell if it was one or two shooters.”

They fired in the directions that the guys had been hit but there was no sign that they hit anything. There was silence in the clearing and Aviles started to stand back up, Rio called out to stay low when blood bloomed from his gut as another shot flew.

Swearing, Rio army crawled across the field to grab his boy. As he grabbed his arms Rio pulled Aviles across the field, as low to a crouch as possible. Another shot went off and Rio felt a burning hit his side but he knew he couldn’t stop moving.

Ramon joined him once he was out of the clearing in dragging Aviles to safety. 

“We gotta get out of here, can we get to your guys?”

Both their eyes scanned the field, the body still lay half way across and there was a man alongside the tree who appeared to be less injured.

“Alright let’s get him in the car and then drive it around to get your boy. You’ll have to send someone later to collect the body.”

Ramon’s eyes were wild, which in a way was reassuring to Rio, let him know that whatever was going on he wasn’t in on it.

“Good idea, where’s your other guy.”

“Still the car, I always leave one behind the wheel in case things get dicey.” Rio told him with a huff. 

He could see that Bullet was ready to move and was just waiting for the signal, as soon as Rio sent it he came rolling up as bullets ricochet off the car.  _ Guess I’ll be buyin’ a new car too. _

They got Aviles loaded in and Ramon climbed over the seat to the passenger side so they could fit his man in the back. 

As Rio checked Aviles over he knew it was bad, it was also when his own injury decided to remind him it was there. Getting shot fucking sucked, and while it wasn’t the first time it wasn’t something he actually sought out unless it was a carefully planned set up involving blanks

Ramon’s man jumped into the car as soon as Bullet was close enough and then they peeled out of there. He had been shot in the arm but it didn’t look too bad. Aviles, on the other hand was not in a good place. Even his own wound was bleeding profusely.

“Get us to Queen and let Maggie know we’re comin’ in hot. “ Rio ordered. 

“Ramon, man let me get Aviles checked out and Bullet will take you and your man anywhere you need to be. We can organize someone to go get your fallen.”

Ramon gave him a tight nod, Staring ahead in the darkness. “It was so fast man, I didn’t see nobody.”

“Yeah this ain’t no average drive by this was a hit. Someone who knew we’d be there and be unsuspectin’. Tell your bosses an’ I’ll tell mine.”

Bullet pulled into the back lot and left the car running. He practically dragged Aviles upstairs dumping him on Maggie’s floor before going back for Rio. Tossing the keys to Ramon he grunted out.

“Destroy it when you’re done, no good to us now.”

Ramon caught the keys slid over to the driver’s side and took off. As Bullet helped Rio inside.

“Go get Elizabeth.”

“You sure boss? You don’t look so good. You wantin’ her to see this?”

He didn’t, not really but he knew that even with Maggie calling the doc, they’d need more hands if they were both going to survive.

“Yeah, just get her don’t tell her in front of the kids.”

Bullet got him leaned up against the wall before heading upstairs to get Beth. He still thought it was a bad idea considering her condition but the boss was the boss.

Rio could hear Maggie barking orders on her phone and her two guys were clearly on the ready. The look she gave them had them moving quickly as they put pressure on Aviles wound, Rio feeling his vision greying on the sides, he wondered if this was it. This time he wasn’t slick enough to get away with it.

Before he mused too much about that Elizabeth was by his side pressing a towel to his wound. He tried to reassure her as she added more pressure. Thankfully it didn’t take the doc long to stabilize Aviles the best he could, considering. It would be up to him to survive now. Rio swallowed the pain pills as the doc injected him with morphine and started cleaning his wound and stitching him up. 

While the doc stitched him up, Rio focused on Elizabeth who watched nervously “This ain’t nothing mama. I’ve had worse, I’ll be good in a couple of days.”

He noticed she was pale and quiet but she scrambled to his side once the doc was done. “Tell me what happened.”

Before he could even start Maggie was at his feet wanting to know the same thing. He could feel Elizabeth clutching his hand as he told them both what had happened, Maggie left soon after to get more information. He watched as she checked Aviles and left to get them blankets and pillows.

While she was gone he took stock of the situation. This was bad and he needed Elizabeth to understand how bad it was without scaring her. It was clear to him that someone had betrayed them and he hoped that Maggie would be able to find out who..

Elizabeth wasn’t gone long and he watched her try and make Aviles comfortable. Even in the face of terror she couldn’t help but try to take care of people. Of him. Once she was satisfied with Aviles she put a pillow under his head and spread a blanket over him as well, before she snuggled up next to him and they both fell asleep.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to DropkickDisco and Goldfishangie for reviewing


	9. Arrorró mi niño

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus and Rio get some time together

Rio felt the eyes on him before he opened his eyes. He hadn’t been asleep, just resting. Blinking, he saw two wide brown eyes peering at him from the door way, making him smile.

“Hey Pop! Come on in here.”

The door opened further and Marcus slowly approached the bed. “Mommy said you were hurt.”

“Yeah, it was a rough night but I’m gonna be fine.”

“Promise?”

“Promise, now come up here and tell me whatchu been up to lately.”

Marcus leaned against him and babbled on while Rio tried to make the appropriate noises in the right places but he wasn’t really listening. Holding his son was the most important moment in the world right now.

“Daddy? Are you listening? I was saying that Tia Rosa says you have to bring Ms. Beth to dinner one night.”

“What? Yeah, yeah. We can do that. After the move.” Rio promised

“Move? Where are we moving.”

He had forgotten that Marcus hadn’t been at the table when they told the other kids.

“Well, you know we spend a lot of time at Ms.Beth’s house and since her house burned down we thought maybe we’d all just live in one house. What do you think?”

Marcus’ eyes went wide. “I’m going to live with Jane and Emma and Danny and Kenny?” He asked excitedly.

Rio chuckled even though it hurt. “Guess I don’t have to ask if that’s ok wit you.”

He shook his head wildly, “Are we going to be a family?”

“Well, I think we already are Pop. You’re gonna have a new brother or sister in a coupla’ months too. What you think about that?”

Marcus squirmed so he could turn to face his dad.

“I’m happy. I like being with them. Are they my brothers and sisters now?”

Rio thought about it before nodded.

“For the most part yeah. Your mom is still your mom and their dad is still their dad but this baby is gonna be both your siblin’ and we all gonna live together when you’re not with your mom.”

Marcus settled down next to him again.

“Did the same men who hurt Jane’s daddy hurt you?”

This was the dirty part of his business, he never wanted his son to know what he was involved with, it was bad enough that Kenny might have an idea about what they were really into.

“Nah Pop, this was somethin’ different but we don’t know who did this. I didn’t get as hurt as Jane’s daddy that’s why I’m here an’ not at a hospital.”

He could Marcus nod against his chest “Can we still make you get well cards?”

“Wouldn’t expect nothin’ less. I ain’t less important than car man.”

“Why do you call him that, it’s not his name right?”

“Nah, him and me don’t get along well so he calls me bounce house guy an’ I call him car man, cause he runs the car dealership.”

Thinking of cars reminded him that he was going to have to buy a new one.

“So when I’m better you wanna go car shoppin’ wit me. Was thinkn’ with the new baby an’ all we should get somethin’ bigger.”

“Will it be an SUV like Ms Beth’s?”

Rio snorted. “Along those lines probably a bit bigger so everyone will have a spot.”

“Yeah, let’s go shopping. And a new house?”

“That’s right pop, we was thinkin’ you and Danny could share a room. That ok wit you?”

“I guess so but I’d rather share with Jane.”

“How about maybe rooms across from each other?” Rio bargained and Marcus sighed.

“I guess so, not as fun as sharing though.”

“Pop, you gonna be livin’ in the same house. I bet you gonna want some space.”

Marcus shook his head. “She’s my bestest friend, I’ll never be tired of her.”

Rio couldn’t help but laugh. “You say that now, but she’s also gonna be your sister. Just wait.”

Thinking about it he wondered what it was going to be like living with that many kids. Sure they were doing it now (kind of) but he always had the option to go home if it got to be too much. This move was going to change everything. 

“When will the baby get here, will it be soon?”

“Not for a while kiddo, at least five more months. We’ll be in the new house by then.”

“Can I pick out stuff for my new room?”

“You can pick stuff out with Danny, remember you’re only gonna be there part time. He’s there full time so you gotta agree on stuff. But what are you thinkin?”

“Ok,” he agreed dramatically. “I want baseball pictures or something. Maybe dinosaurs?”

“I’m sure you and him will figure things out. I know this is gonna be a big change for you. But you know I love you completely right? Ain’t gonna love you less with more people in the family.”

Marcus lay there still not responding making Rio realize he had touched on what was really bothering his son.

“You won’t love the baby more than me right?” Marcus asked in a small voice.

“Nah, I'll love the baby as much as I love you. You know how Kenny watches over Emma, Jane and Danny? You’re gonna watch over the baby like that. Teach’em things an’ everything.”

“Really? I can do that.”

He could feel Marcus relaxing again on him and once again Rio was overwhelmed by what he could have lost. He knew leaving the life wasn’t possible right now, if ever but he had hoped to spare Marcus from the worst of it.

“Remember that song I usta sing to you?”

Marcus nodded.

“You could teach that to the baby. You remember the words?”

He started to hum the tune before Marcus joined in singing softly.

_ Arrorró mi niño _

_ arrorró mi amor _

_ arrorró pedazo de mi corazón _

_ este niño lindo _

_ que nació de día _

_ quiere que lo lleve a la dulcería _

_ este niño lindo _

_ que nació de noche _

_ quiere que lo lleve a pasear en coche _

_ Duérmete mi niño _

_ duérmete pedazo de mi corazón _

Rio found himself joining in the song and the Marcus’ voice faded as he fell asleep and his father joined him. One of his last thoughts before he fell asleep was that they hadn’t napped together in a long time and he should make sure to take the time while he had it. Death had come blisteringly close and he didn’t want to waste what he had.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Dropkickdisco and Goldfishangie


	10. A Parting of Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean has powerful conversation

Dean lay in his hospital bed glowering. Unsurprisingly, his mother had been unable to force Beth to send the kids to her. They had both been surprised on how quickly she was to hand things over to the lawyers. The old Beth would have at least been willing to talk about it. This new Beth was, well he didn’t know who this was. 

Unfortunately in his current condition, there was no way he was able to go over and talk to her and if he was being honest, distance was probably a good thing considering. With the dealership destroyed he would have to find out what insurance would pay out and if was even worth rebuilding.

The doctors had told him he was going to need months of physical therapy and he still wasn’t sure what he should tell the police. The woman from the room was right he could throw suspicion on Beth and the bounce house guy, but there was no proof. His mother said Beth had sounded genuinely surprised by her call.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Come in.” He always wondered why the nurses bothered to knock but at least a couple of them were cute.

Two women entered his room, but it was immediately clear that neither of them were nurses. These were the kind women who made him uncomfortable, the ones he knew wouldn’t flirt with him or find him funny. Also he recognized one of them as Beth’s lawyer, Alexa James.

“Good Morning Mr. Boland. How are you feeling today?”

“Like you care. What do you want?”

Alexa smirked, clearly he was going to be his obstinate self.

“We’re on two different issues. This is Gretchen Zorada, she represents an interested party who would like to make an offer on your dealership.”

Dean looked confused as this wasn’t the conversation he had been expecting.

“Your interested party is aware that it was firebombed the other night?”

“Yes, of course they are mostly interested in the land not the actual dealership.”

“What kind of offer were you thinking?”

Gretchen pulled out a contract from her briefcase and handed to him. “I believe you should consider this a more than generous offer.”

Dean read over the paper and almost choked .”Is this a joke? Is someone filming this?”

Both women frowned. “I assure you Mr. Boland this isn’t a joke. But there are some conditions which is why Ms. James is here.”

Dean scowled. “I supposed Beth want part of the proceeds of the sale.”

“Actually the contrary. Ms Marks won’t interfere with the sale if you agree to leave her alone. That means no more being late for pick ups, no more stopping by the bakeries and causing a scene. No more trying to poison your children against her. You might even want to consider this offer as an opportunity to start over elsewhere.”

“I’m not giving up custody of the kids! They’re my kids.”

Alexa sighed. “Ms. Marks isn’t asking for you to give up joint custody even though after your last visit she has every right to bring you back into court for the trauma you inflicted on your son. She just wants you to leave her alone and be a good father to your kids without causing unnecessary drama.”

“All I told Kenny was the truth and she still managed to come out smelling like roses and he doesn’t want to speak to me.”

“Mr. Boland, you told your son unfounded allegations. That I am happy to refute in court, if you want to go that way. It isn’t Ms. Marks first choice but she is prepared to take the necessary steps to protect your children.”

Dean looked back at the contract. “The offer is really two million? For the dealership and to abandon my kids?”

“We’re not asking you to abandon your children although the court will notice that you do not provide child support for the care of your children.”

“I couldn’t, the dealership wasn’t doing well and now it’s gone. How was I supposed to pay child support on top of that?”

“Yet you were able to purchase a lavish apartment and it appears visit Atlantic City nearly once a month. But that is not the issue. If you agree to these terms, you can start to focus on your recovery in a more comfortable location.”

Taking time to review the contract Dean huffed again. “Make it 2.5 million and you have a deal.”

Gretchen nodded. “Let me discuss that with my client.” she told him as she pulled out her phone and sent a text. The response came through quickly, too quickly in Dean’s opinion and he wondered if he had pushed too far.

“You have a deal Mr. Boland, sign the contract and we’ll get started on processing the sale. Please know that if you don’t keep up your end of the bargain, Ms. James will start proceedings for Ms. Marks to get part of the sale.”

Dean gave an irritated nod as he signed the paperwork. Maybe it was for the best since he needed time and money to recover. 

“Will my mother still be able to see the kids?”

Alexa frowned. “We can revisit that topic in mediation. Your mother is a potential risk and I would need to vet her as a possible custody violator.”

Frowning Dean nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll talk to her to see if she’s willing to be supervised while I’m recovering. Is there anything else?”

“No, Mr Boland, thank you for your cooperation.”

Both women turned to leave.

“Did that bounce house guy send you?”

Gretchen gave him a sly smile. “I’m sorry but I’m not at liberty to discuss my client’s identity. The dealership is being purchased through a corporation so I wouldn't be able to disclose where the offer originated. Anything else?”

Dean shook his head.

The women headed to the door. “Once again, Mr. Boland. Pleasure doing business with you. I’ll be in touch with the rest of the paperwork for the sale.”

Laying in his bed Dean wasn’t sure if he had won the lottery or finally lost everything. In his condition there wasn’t much he could do. Beth held all the cards, again.

  
  
  
  


.

  
  



	11. Longest Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio's POV of Beth's abduction

What the hell had he been thinking leaving Elizabeth in the car like that. In fact, why the hell did he bring her? Thoughts like this and many others ran through Rio’s head as he heard her scream and discovered the empty car. In seconds he was dialing Maggie with the update as he raced back to the stash house. A text for Bullet and Demon followed as he mentally berated himself.

Maggie was there by the time he arrived and it was a relief that she had a tracker on Beth’s phone, but whoever this was had a headstart on them. He wasn’t sure if she even had her phone anymore.

Maggie sat next to him giving him directions as he drove madly through Detroit.

“If we get pulled over it’s going to take longer for us to find her, slow the fuck down!” Maggie cautioned.

He growled and clenched his teeth, but knowing she was right did get him to slow down. 

“I had wondered why her house and the dealership, but now I’m thinking that Beth was deliberately targeted and not collateral damage.” Maggie mused.

Rio looked over at her giving her a confused look until he processed what Maggie had actually said.

“You think her ex did this? He ain’t got those kinda connections. I checked.”

Maggie shook her head. “No, this is more than that, I just don’t know what.”

Meanwhile Demon and Bullet followed behind Rio and Maggie. They hadn’t seen their boss like this in a while. Not that they blamed him. Ms. Beth might have caused her share of trouble over the years but she was nice to them and she was carrying the boss’ baby.

“You think she’s bein’ used as leverage?”

Bullet shrugged. “Maybe? Don’t think many know how attached he is to her, they’ve stayed on the downlow for a while.”

“Yeah but she stayed in business even after she shot the boss, that must have raised some eyebrows around.”

“Maybe so but even though she kept the business running she had Maggie for cover and I’ve learned that lady is cagey as fuck.”

Honestly Maggie made Bullet very wary. Especially after finding out who she actually was and the power she had in organized crime. The petite woman looked harmless, but he had no doubt she’d shoot you between the eyes and not blink and eye.

“If anything happens to her between the two of them, they’ll burn the city down.”

Demon nodded. Who ever had grabbed Beth was in for a world of hurt.

They watched as Rio finally slowed down and wondered if they were near the target but it seemed like the boss was just being cautious for the police. Soon they were on the outskirts of town which made them very nervous. If Beth was all the way out here something bad was going to happen.

Rio cursed as they got further and further out of town. He knew the reason to go this far out wasn’t to have a private conversation. Maggie in the passengers seat watching him warily knowing that if Beth wasn’t ok she wouldn’t be able to stop him.

They pulled up to what looked like an abandoned garage. Rio slammed the car into park and jumped out without even turning off the car. Maggie waited a second before following him but she could hear Rio calling for Beth.

“Elizabeth! Where are you?”

Rio ran through the garage calling Beth when he heard her voice, she sounded hoarse. As he rounded the corner he skidded to a stop.

Beth was crouched on the ground and her gun was up. In front of her was a body. Moving closer he saw she was splattered with blood, pale, eyes unseeing. Finally she looked at him, tears running down her face. 

“I didn’t have a choice, he was going to kill me and the baby, I couldn't let anything happen to our baby!”

Rio got closer crouching in front of her before he took the gun from her clenched hand and tucked into his back pocket. Looking over at the body he shook his head.

“It’s ok Mama, you did what you had to do. Fuckin’ Turner. Wouldn’t have guessed he was behind this.”

As he got her up off the ground Rio started to walk her out as they met up with Bullet.

“Take care of that, make sure there is nothin’ to be found of Agent Turner.”

Bullet nodded, “You got it boss. She gonna be ok?”

Rio looked down at Beth who was shivering in his arms and nodded. 

“She’s goin’ into shock. I’m gonna take her to the townhouse. Ask Ruby to stay with the kids if she can, or call Annie.”

Maggie met up with her and was thankfully brief giving her approval before Rio led Beth out of the garage.

Bullet whistled for Demon to join him as he looked down at the fallen FBI agent’s body. If this one hadn’t already been disgraced they’d have even more trouble on their hands but this could be taken care of.

“Go get the tarp we’ll take him to the farm.”

Demon nodded and headed back to the car as Maggie approached the body.

“So this is the agent that had such a hard on for Beth?”

Bullet looked over at her and nodded.

“Did anyone ever figure out why? Didn’t Beth help him get Rio arrested.

As reluctant he was to speak to Maggie, Bullet nodded again. 

“Yeah, at some point he decided that she was a better target. I remember hearing he was going to raid the dealership and it just didn’t make no sense but we gave her the heads up and she covered her ass. He also tried pinnin’ a murder on her but the so called victim walked into the police station at the last minute.”

“Beth is like a cat with nine lives and she probably only has six lives left.”

“Yeah, no matter what she does, she always comes out smellin’ like a rose.”

“God watches over fools and kindergartners.” Maggie muttered.

He smirked at her comment.

“That’s not to say she’s gotten better, but I don’t know how she survived her first year with your boss.”

Bullet snorted. “Neither do I. But there was somethin’ different about her from the start and she was like catnip to him. Couldn’t stay away.”

“She has a certain appeal and makes an excellent cover. No one but Turner really suspected her of anything.”

“Now a baby, hope he don’t go all domesticated.”

Maggie snorted. “Don’t think he’d know how. His ambition won’t let him and she likes the life. She’s good at it and getting better.”

She looked over at the body again.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“There’s a farm we use. Got pigs. They don’t leave nothin’ behind. Boss is takin’ her to the townhouse to clean up so the kids don’t see her.”

“Good plan, if he’s got any ID on him get it to me and I’ll make sure it’s properly destroyed.”

“Got it. When we’re done we’ll check on the bakeries before heading out.”

“It’s late.” Maggie said with a frown.

“I know but the boss wants me to update Ruby, so I’ll probably crash there.”

“And see Pria in the morning?” Maggie teased.

Bullet’s lips twitched but he didn’t comment as Demon walked in with the tarp.

Maggie chuckled but left the topic alone.

“See you in the morning boys. I’ll have an update from the Conclave by then.”

Both men nodded before starting their grisly task. Once the trash was taken out they could rest easier, but the Armenians still needed to be dealt with an they had no doubt they’d be involved.

Once the body was in the car they drove in silence for a while before Demon spoke up.

“You think she’s gonna be ok?”

Bullet shrugged. “She’s stronger than she looks. Never thought she’d be able to pull a trigger but she made it happen.”

“You don’t think that’s just a survival instinct?”

“Nah, she can be cutthroat just inexperienced. Not that survival didn’t play a role but even in the beginnin' she didn’t like being pushed around. And Turner was no doubt on her shit list. Between him or her, he was never walkin’ away from this.”

Demon nodded, if they had needed proof that Ms. Beth was all in, they had it now; in their trunk. 

“So Pria huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Dropkickdisco and Goldfishangie


	12. Boys Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Boys go car shopping- Sorry I should have posted this on Monday but I lost sight of my time line. Hope you Enjoy

Bright and early on a Saturday morning, Rio woke up each of the boys in their bedroom and indicated they needed to be quiet. They slipped downstairs and gave Pria a wave as they headed out of the bakery. Once they were in the car the boys all started out at once asking questions.

Rio chuckled. “Everythin’ is fine just thought we’d go look at some cars and see if we wanna buy a new one.”

All the boys cheered and he first drove them to the cafe for breakfast. It was remarkably easier with only three kids. Full of breakfast Rio drove them over to the Cadillac dealership.

The boys jumped out of the car as Rio walked up to the office. He had a usual guy he liked to shop with but he wasn’t sure if the dude was still there. The woman at the reception desk, paused and stared at him for a minute before asking if she could help him.

“Yeah, Imma lookin’ for Doug he workin’ today?”

She checked the schedule before shaking her head. “I’m sorry but Doug called out sick today.”

“Right, right. Well I’m lookin’ to buy a car today anyone around who can help me?”

He turned and looked out the window checking on the boys but he was pleased to see they had stayed within view.”

“Let’s see. There is Mark and the new girl Amber. Do you have a preference or an idea of what you’re looking for?”

Rio kept his face neutral as he shrugged. “Nah, don’t really matter. But I’m wantin’ to look at the 2020 Escalades.”

The receptionist raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. “If you’d have a seat sir, I’ll have a sales person out in a minute.”

He didn’t sit, but watched the boys playing outside it was good seeing them just having fun not a worry in their heads. Considering all the upheaval they had been through. A blond woman approached him and looked at the boys and then at Rio in confusion.

“Aren’t those the Boland boys?”

Rio turned with a wary look on his face. “Whatchu know about them?”

“Oh I used to work for their dad.” She told him. 

He eyed her carefully. “You one of them who fucked him?”

She blushed answering his question. 

“Guess I owe you a bit’o thanks for breakin’ them up.”

Amber gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is he cheated and I came in an swooped her up.”

“You mean Beth left Dean, for you?” she asked incredulously.

“Nah, she left him because he’s a dumbass. I just made sure she knew there were better options out there for her once she got situated.”

Amber looked a little impressed. “Ok then, do you know what you’re looking for and your price range?”

Rio nodded. “Yeah I wanna look at Escalades, wit all the kids and a baby on the way I’m gonna need all the room.”

He watched as the woman goggled at him. “A baby?”

“Me and Elizabeth are havin’ a baby in a coupla months need to start gettin’ ready.”

Mind officially blown, Amber lead them out of the showroom and out to the lot. Rio whistled at the boys to get them to follow.

She brought him over to the new Escalades and Rio admired them. They wouldn’t be as gas efficient as his sedan, but they’d carry the kids and their supplies pretty easily. 

Climbing in he checked the interior counting the seats. After considering two booster seats, a carseat and some almost teenagers he shook his head.”

“This ain’t gonna work. You have that ESV in stock?”

Amber bobbed her head and lead him in that direction.

“Have you considered any upgrades?”

Rio gave a tight nod. “Don't worry, we'll get to that.” 

The ESV was a lot larger or at least longer. Rio wasn’t actually looking forward to driving something so big and obvious but if it had enough horse power it might be good for non kid trips.

“What’s the get up in go for this model?”

“Horsepower is 420. Not the best gas mileage but it looks like you need the space. Are all the kids living with you?”

He gave her a dirty look, not answering. 

“Let’s go with this one, I want the platinum package and the roof rack. Wanna go tally that up for me?”

“Are you applying for credit or a lease?”

Rio shook his head, “Nah, I’m payin’ cash”

Hearing that Amber took off to write up the order. She had told him it would take about 3 days to get one with the upgrades he had asked for.

Calling the boys over Rio showed them the new Escalade.

“This is so cool!” Kenny exclaimed. “We’re gonna ride in this?”

“Yeah, this is our new ride. Enough space for everyone.”

Even Danny looked at it in awe. “This is like a rich person car.”

Rio laughed, “Well not rich, but me and your ma ain’t doin’ too bad. You don’t hafta worry about havin’ enough, ok?”

It was then that Rio realized that the kids had heard the fights about bills and mortgages. He remembered when Elizabeth had sold the fridge to pay bills.”

The boys nodded. Waving them into the dealership he helped them get some popcorn and soda while he went in to sign the paperwork. 

The manager actually joined them, not believing they had a customer who wanted to pay cash for a 100k+ vehicle. It took a lot for Rio to not roll his eyes. This wasn’t the first time it had happened to him but it was still annoying.

“Ok Mr. Colmenares, the total is 105,000 with taxes and tags. Amber told us you won't be financing this vehicle?”

“That’s right, if you give me your wiring information I’ll have the funds transferred.” He waved his phone in the air.

The manager blinked, still shocked that a man that looked like him had that kind of money.

“Yes, of course I’ll get that for you now.” He handed over a piece of paper. In minutes, Rio started the bank transfer having moved money to be immediately available.

Moments later the manager’s computer pinged letting him know the transfer was complete.

“Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Colmenares. We’ll have your Escalade ready for you in two to three days”

“Great just give me a call and we’ll come pick it up. The boys are excited.” Rio looked out the office window to see the boys playing with each other.

“They look like fine boys, well behaved.”

Rio nodded, “They can be a handful but they’re good. Now get their sisters involved…” he shook his head and laughed.

“There are more kids?” the manager stared at him.

“We’re a full house, why do ya think I bought a big car." Rio shook his head like the man was crazy.

“Right, I’ll see ya in a coupla days.”

Whistling for the boys he walked out with them getting them settled into the rental car. “Whadda ya say to some time at the VR-Zone?”

Danny and Kenny looked at each other and then back at Rio in surprise before nodding vigorously.

Rio sent a quick text to Beth, explaining that he had all the boys and they were going to go do things. She didn’t respond right away so he hoped she was still sleeping.

At the VR Zone, he bought gaming packages for the boys and then sat in the parent area sending out messages and getting reports in from various interests. After an hour he put his phone away and paid for his own package. 

Finding Marcus playing Guardian Heroes, he strapped in to join him. It was fun and they so rarely had time to play like this. When they were done Marcus looked so happy. They left the game and went looking for Danny and Kenny.

They found the other boys playing the Lost Jurassic game. Motioning for them to wrap it up the boys finished their game in about ten minutes.

“Let’s go get some lunch, you guys like Mexican?”

Kenny and Danny looked at each other and shrugged. “We like Taco Bell.”

Rio scrunched up his face. “That ain’t Mexican food. Come on let's get some real food.”

Back in the car Rio drove them to a less than savory neighborhood that was near where he grew up.

Kenny and Danny looked a little nervous but Marcus led them into the restaurant. “Hola Tia Carmen!”

An older woman was behind the counter. “Hola mi amor como estas?”

The other boys looked confused until Marcus explained. “This is my great-aunt Carmen, sister to my abuela or grandmother.”

They nodded understanding as Rio herded them to a table. “Hey Tia, what’s on the menu today?”

“Posole, enchiladas and empanadas, Rio.” she answered.

“Ok, we’ll have a bit of each, not too spicy yeah? These two are gringos.”

“Si, si yo comprendo.”

Soon they had a table full of amazing smelling food. Rio put a little on each of the boys plates and they had their own soup bowls. 

“Ok give it a try, it ain’t bad.”

They tentatively took a bite before joining Marcus in diving in. They didn’t talk, just groaned in pleasure as they ate.

“Great as always Tia, can you make up enough for ten more people, folks will be pissed if they find out we had all this goodness and didn't bring them none.”

His aunt laughed as she pulled out the big pans and started putting the to go order together. When they were done Rio packed up the car and they started to drive back to the bakery.

The kids were oddly quiet and when he looked back Kenny and Marcus were asleep but Danny was just looking at him.

“What’s up lil man you’re awfully quiet.”

Danny shrugged, he had never really had a conversation with Rio before. “Are we going to see my dad again?”

Rio felt a tightness in his chest, it wasn’t what he had been expecting. “You sure you don’t want to talk about this with your mama?”

Danny shook his head. “I don’t want her to worry. I just want to know either way.”

“Then I think at some point you will be able to choose to see your dad, but he’s goin’ to a hospital for a while to recover. Don’t mean he don’t love you, but he needs time and I think so do you. Feel out the new house and neighborhood.”

The little boy nodded. “I don’t mind that he’s not around. Sometimes it felt that he only liked Kenny, me and the girls were just extra work.”

Rio found himself gripping the steering wheel. “Well if you don’t wanna see him you don’t hafta. Your ma and me. We don’t make ya feel extra?”

Danny shook his head. “No, you spend time with all of us. Mom’s really good at making us special things that we don’t have to share.”

Rio nodded making eye contact with Danny in the rearview mirror. “That’s good. I know I ain’t your dad but you need anythin’ just ask yeah?”

Leaning back against the seat Danny let out a tight breath as he nodded and then looked out the window.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Dropkickdisco and HereliesBethBoland for reviewing


	13. The Gods Must Be Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby takes the kids shopping

As soon as she offered, Ruby was sure she had lost her mind. Whatever possessed her to take seven children shopping for clothing? In hindsight, she should have taken the girls and the boys separately, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Here they were at Burlington Coat Factory and she just had to keep them from destroying the store.

“Ok guys, here’s the game plan. Shirts, pants, skirts if needed then shoes.”

Looking over at Kenny, Ruby snapped her fingers in his face to pull his attention from his phone. 

“Can I trust you to pick some stuff out that fits on your own or do you need supervision?”

He thought about it for a minute before shrugging. “I should be ok. I’ll take Danny with me.”

Marcus looked between Ruby and Kenny feeling torn. She had brought him along because she didn’t want him to be left alone at the apartment.

“Your choice Marcus, with me or them.”

She watched as he processed his options and Ruby found it fascinating how much he was like his father but with the sweetest face.

“I’ll go with them.” he finally decided.

Watching the boys wander off she turned to the girls and led them off to the girl's part of the store.

After arguing with Jane that it wasn’t appropriate for her to wear a crop top to school. She finally relented once Jane found pj bottoms that matched and promised to only wear it to bed. Emma on the other hand only seemed to pick out flouncy dresses that had no practical use.

“Emma, you may pick out one dress for a special event. The rest of your clothes needs to be suitable for school so pick carefully.”

Emma turned back to the rack with a pout. She studied all the dresses she liked, before selecting a burgundy velvet dress with a black sash and tulle. Ruby shook her head wondering where she thought she was going to wear the thing, but it was better than arguing. 

Sara wasn’t helping either as she started picking things out for herself.

“Honey, this isn’t your shopping trip. We’re helping them replace some of the stuff they lost in the fire.”

“That’s not fair mom, this shirt is so cute.”

Rolling her eyes Ruby finally relented. “One thing, you and Lil Money can pick out one thing in the store, so make it good.”

Sara frowned at her but nodded.

At the mention of Harry, Ruby looked around for him not seeing him. “Harry? Harry where are you?”

She refused to panic. Yet, as she searched the aisles they were around, she heard a giggle from inside one of the round racks. 

“Harry Hill, you better get your behind out here before I pull it out and swat it.”

The giggling stopped and Harry sulked out.

“I don’t have time to be looking for you on top of everything else. Please keep your hand on the cart since you can’t stay close”

The little boy put his hand on the cart but wouldn’t look up at his mother. 

Jane was actually the easiest. She picked out mostly jeans and leggings as well as shirts. She did get distracted by the unicorn pillows and got Emma excited about how beautiful they would be in their tower room.

Sighing Ruby tossed the pillows into the cart, it was Beth’s money anyway.

With the girls taken care of, Ruby left them in the toy section and went looking for the boys. Unsurprisingly she found Kenny looking at headphones but there was no sign of Danny or Marcus.

Taking a deep breath she marched over to Kenny.

“Where are your brothers?”

Kenny got a mulish look on his face and was ready to comment when Ruby held up a finger.

“If your about to say that Marcus isn’t your brother I’m going to stop you right now. You know better.”

He flushed and nodded before shrugging. 

“I don’t know, they were pestering me so I told them to go look for pants.”

“You were supposed to be watching and finding your own pants!” she told him exasperated

with him.

“But..!”

“No buts. This the time to replace your clothes lost in the fire Kenny.”

“I lost my headphones too!”

“Fine, pick out some headphones while I look for your brothers and meet me in the boys department. You have five minutes!”

Sighing again Ruby set out to find the younger boys when suddenly she heard a shriek. Heading towards it she found Danny and Marcus being told off by a startled woman. “You two can’t run willy nilly into dressing rooms! This is not a playground.”

The boys hung their heads as they backed away only to run into Ruby with her disappointed face.

“I don’t want to tell your parents about this, but have no doubt the next thing that goes off the rails you’re answering to them.” Was all she told them as she pointed to the boys clothing section.

“March, I don’t want to be here all day.”

Following them to the boy's section they made fast work of picking out pants and shirts. Marcus even got an outfit because he wanted to match Danny.

After that experience they headed to meet the girls in the toy section, there they found the girls surrounded by a large pile of toys they had picked out. Frowning Ruby looked down at them.

“You can pick one thing each so hurry up.”

They took their time picking what they wanted with Jane choosing a huge stuffed bunny and Emma a play tent that came with pillows and a book about tigers. Rolling her eyes Ruby was so glad this was Beth’s money but Lord, that woman owed her.

“Ok, shoes and then home?”

They grumbled but followed her to the shoe section. From that point on it went quickly until the check out line when Marcus and Danny realized the other kids had gotten something not clothes related.

The checkout line was full of random things so Ruby told them to pick out one thing each. Danny found a pack of baseball cards while Marcus found a lego robot kit that someone had clearly decided not to buy.

At this point it wasn’t worth the fight. As they were being rung up she found a bag of cotton candy someone had snuck into the card that she paid for with a sigh. Between these kids and their respective parents they were going to kill her she was sure of it.

They loaded up the car got everyone strapped in when Ruby was finally able to let out the breath she had been holding. Mission accomplished and no one dead or missing.

“For the record, your mother owes me so badly at this point. But I’m holding you guys responsible to not make her work too much ok? She’s not feeling well.”

Looking in the rear view mirror she noticed Emma playing with her fingers.

“What’s up Emma?”

“Is mommy going to die?”

“No, sweetheart she’s going to be fine, she just needs to slow down for a while. Let her body get used to having a baby again. She’s out of practice. But you guys helping out with the move would help a lot.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Alright let's get you all home and get some dinner in you. I’m guessing Rio’s cooking again. So I have no idea what you’re getting, but take it easy on your mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to DropkickDisco and Goldfishangie for your review


	14. The Call

Rio sat in his car surveilling. The Armenian infection wasn’t completely removed but after his boys hit this warehouse they’d be pretty much wiped out. The other organizations had hit their share of locations, this was one of the last ones to go.

It was actually nice having some quiet. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy this new domestic life he had fallen into but it was still a big adjustment. Everything seemed to happen at once and it wasn’t like he wasn’t a willing participant.

They’d be moving into the house soon and the baby was doing great. It was just a lot. Beth’s ideas about expanding was actually exciting, knowing that she was still choosing this life despite everything that had happened. He had been worried that she would want him to change, become something he wasn’t.

Despite the bed rest things were going well with them. The kids adjusting to all the changes. Now that everything was calmer he was able to take stock in everything that had happened. 

The minute Beth had been taken he had gone on high alert. Even after she had been found he couldn’t help but worry she’d be targeted. Sure she hadn’t appreciated Bullet tailing her but it made him feel better.

Rio would never tell her, but her bed rest had been a relief. Knowing she had to stay inside where he knew she was safe. They’d be in the new house before she was released and the house was secure.

The ring of his phone brought him out of his thoughts. Looking around he realized it was his personal phone and not the burner ringing. Since only a select group of people had the number he pulled it out. 

“Yo, what you want?”

A chuckle greeted him on the other end. “Still friendly as usual.”

“Well you know me, don’t ever expect a call from you.”

“I’m hurt brother, I haven’t been ignoring you. Just busy.”

“Same as me, so I guess you’re forgiven.” Rio said with a laugh.

“You sound tired man, you doing ok?”

Rio sighed. “I'm ok really just a lot goin’ on right now. Have to keep everything movin’.”

“Yeah? Want to go into some details here? I am family.”

Rolling his eyes Rio watched as his guys entered the warehouse, he heard gunfire before they came running out, arms loaded with product.

Pulling away, Rio drove away relaxing, glad that it had been a simple raid. 

“Yeah, lots ‘o stuff happenin’ these days. But I’m curious, what made you choose today to call?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, telling Rio someone had clued in his brother. 

“Ok, ok so Claudia gave me a call said you had a lot on your plate and you might want to talk.”

Rio swore. He knew his ex meant well, but he didn’t like his business being thrown around like that.

“I’ll need to talk to her about that.”

“Don’t get mad at her, She was right, I should have called sooner. So what’s going on?”

Sighing, Rio pulled into a random parking lot. If he was going to do this he knew he shouldn’t be distracted on the road.

“So Imma have another kid soon.”

He heard choking on the other end and smiled. Served the bastard right.

“You’re what?”

“Yeah, been seeing someone for a bit and we’re havin’ a baby in a coupla months and movin’ in together in a week or so.”

“My brother is settling down?”

“Not settlin’ down. I ain’t leavin’ the business.”

“And your baby mama is ok with this.”

Rio chuckled. “Yeah, she’s my partner all the way. She knows what we’re into.”

Luca didn’t know how to respond to the revelation. “She works with you?”

“Elizabeth is a thing of wonder. Crazy as hell but real creative like when it comes to what we do.”

It was a lot to process. When Claudia had been in the picture, while she had an idea of what Rio was into, she wasn’t in the life.

“So you’re shacking up and having a baby. Anything else I should know?”

“Well, Elizabeth's got four kids so with Marcus, we got a full house.”

Rio didn’t know it but his news caused Luca to spit out the coffee he was drinking.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You’re with a woman involved in crime who has four kids and is expecting yours soon?”

“Yeah, like I said it’s complicated but it works for us. You should see the new place. Total castle.” Rio chuckled hearing his brother revert to his old way of speaking.

“I’m sure you’ve taken precautions to protect them.”

“They’re safe, an’ she knows the risks.”

“So does Ma know about the new baby? You know how she is about her grandchildren.”

Wincing Rio sighed. “Not yet and don’t you be tellin’ her. We’re goin’ over there this Saturday and she’ll find out then.”

“You’re a braver man than me brother, dropping that on her like that. Call me if you survive.”

Laughing Rio shook his head. “Easier to beg for forgiveness an’ what not. She’s been outta the loop for a while.”

“Right, right. My brother the great conversationalist. But how are you taking things? Lot of changes in a short amount of time.”

“Imma tired man honestly. We got no less than four kids runnin’ around and needin’ to be places. We got a business to run and she’s got her own business runnin’. We busy people an’ now she’s on bedrest, which is both a blessin’ and a curse cause she can’t run things on her own.”

“Why the bed rest? Baby ok?”

“Yeah, she’s doin’ great, right on schedule, but Elizabeth’s had some stress lately and it made her pressure go up. Doc didn’t want her overdoin’ it for a bit. But she’s a lady who don’t like bein’ out of play. Hard to keep her down.”

“Makes sense you’d choose someone who challenges you at every step.”

“Brother, you have no idea. She’s a piece of work, just one that works with me. Gotten used to the challenge, but you shoulda seen us in the beginnin’. Wasn’t sure both of us were gonna make it out alive.”

“That sounds like the brother I know. You don’t like being challenged, yet you find it fascinating at the same time. Guess that’s why you and Claudia didn’t work. You had her figured out.”

“Claudia an’ I didn’t work for a lot of reasons mostly cause she thought or hoped I’d leave the life when Marcus was born. Elizabeth don’t have those expectations, an’ no plan on leavin’ the life herself. We a good pair.

“Sounds like it and I’m happy for you.”

“How’s Samantha an’ the kid?”

Luca smiled and you could hear it in his voice. “They’re really good. Sam just got a promotion in the firm and Delilah is in kindergarten now. She’d like to meet her new cousins for sure.”

“That’a hint?”

“Not so much a hint than a really loud suggestion. We haven’t seen you in a long time. Marcus must be huge by now.”

Yeah, he’s growin’, almost in second grade too. He fits in right between Emma and Jane so they're a bit’ o terrors sometimes. Kenny and Danny are kinda big brothers to him so it’s all good.”

“What do they think about the new baby?”

“Eh, I think they were on the fence for a while, at least the older two. Marcus an’ the girls are over the moon. Marcus has been beggin’ for a siblin’ for a while now and Claudia wasn’t doin’ it. So it all worked out.”

“I take it the baby was a surprise?” Luca knew it wasn’t like Rio to be careless like that.

Rio leaned his head against the car headrest sighing. “Yeah, like I said, Elizabeth brings somethin’ out of me that ain’t normal. Gets me to do things I’d never do. You know when I met her she had stolen from me. An’ instead of doin’ what I normally do, I gave her a chance to pay me back. She got me arrested, I start teachin’ her about the business. Shit ain’t normal I tell ya.”

Luca laughed. “Son, you’re whipped. But I know the feeling. Sam, still gets me doing things I would never do for anyone else. Might mean she’s the one.”

Rio rolled his neck.”Guess we’ll see. Got to get into the house and have her meet Ma first. Elizabeth is a whirlwind and ain’t afraid of nothin’ it seems. Not sure how she does it all an’ until now all on her own. Had a worthless ex that was good for nothin’.”

“I’m guessing you took care of him?”

“You would think that but no, I ain’t the one. She kicked him to the curb on her own and then he crossed the wrong people and was taught a lesson. Finally left town.”

“Right, right.” It sounded like Luca didn’t believe him but Rio wasn’t going to press the point.

Luca sensed his brother’s irritation and changed the subject.

“Was reading about some fires and gang violence in Detroit. Made the national news. You a part of that?”

Rio was silent, and Luca wondered for a minute if his brother had hung up on him.

“Yeah, I was a part of that. New players stepped on toes, had to be put down. It got messy.”

“Understatement. I heard family homes were targeted. That’s beyond messy.”

“That was more complicated than a difference of opinion with a new player. They was targeted attacks, meant for someone in particular.”

“Well I know you don’t live in that neighborhood so it wasn’t you.” Luca joked, but Rio didn’t laugh.”

“It was Elizabeth’s house. They got my warehouse but I barely got her out before the house went up.” He paused. “I ain’t never been so scared until later on when she got grabbed. Thought my heart would stop. How can you feel so much for one person?”

Luca had never heard his brother so exposed, so raw. “It sneaks up on you, you don’t see it until you’re underwater, and still you don’t regret it. You get more out of life from it.” he answered honestly.

“It was easier when it was just me an’ Marcus. I had his little box he lived in an’ the rest of the time he was safe with Claudia. But this, this is all the time. Kids that trust and rely on me. Gotta protect 'em from the world she an’ I live in.”

“Even when you don’t have a questionable business to run, you feel that way. I’d literally let myself be killed to protect Samantha and Delilah. That kind of love won’t fade away. It’s part of your being. Easier doesn’t mean better.”

“Yeah, yeah. Ok, this is gettin’ too sappy an’ I got work to do. I’ll hit you back after the move an’ give ya an update.”

Chuckling Luca agreed. Christopher wasn’t known for talking about his emotions so he knew he must be under a lot of strain to tell him this much.

“You do that, otherwise I’m going to make a trip up to Detroit and see for myself.”

Rio laughed. “Well Ma has been askin’ for ya. Couldn’t hurt for you to come see her.”

“We’ll be up soon. Holidays are coming. Can’t miss out on the tamales.”

“Right, right that'd be a damn shame to miss out on those.”

“Talk to you soon?”

“I’ll do my best, yeah?”

Knowing that meant it was unlikely that Rio would call, Luca hung up. 

Sitting in the car Rio found he felt better having talked to his brother. But that didn’t mean he’d be baring his soul again any time soon. Something like that could get you shot.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Mama Says

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio gets his talking to from his Mama

As Beth was getting the kids packed up, Anamaria pulled Rio from the living room into the kitchen to start the lecture he had known was coming. 

“¿Cómo no pudiste decirme que estaba embarazada?”

Rio scrunched up his face and sighed. “I dunno Ma, thought you might like the surprise.”

She snorted and turned back to the sink.

“Well you certainly surprised me. But you should have warned me. I could have given a better welcome to the mother of my grandchild.”

“Mama, you were very nice to her. She likes you. You’ll be happy to know she thought I should tell you in advance, too.”

“Of course she did. She’s a smart woman and so busy with all the kids. She keeps Marcus too?”

“Yeah, when it's my week we’re all together. She ‘n Claudia are friends, so it’s workin’ out.”

Anamaria looked surprised but relaxed. “That’s good, she’s a good mother. You did good, mijo.”

“Claudia is a good mother too, mama. You know that. We just didn’t work out. Elizabeth is different, we match.”

“Si, si. I can tell and she works with you? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Yeah, it is but I can’t tell her no. I ain’t her keeper and she likes it. Even when I was underground, she kept runnin’ things like a boss. There's no tellin’ her nothin’ unless she’s on board.”

Huffing, Anamaria glared at him. “But the bebe?”

“She ain’t doin’ drops or nothin’, we have her sister doin’ that. Elizabeth is more management now. Keepin’ the books, makin’ sure our profit margins are where they need to be.”

His words helped her relax, but Rio could tell she still wasn’t happy about Elizabeth being in his line of work.

“Don’t forget ma, she runs her bakeries too. She’s real busy most days, not in the line of fire or nothin’.”  _ Least not any more. _ He thought.

“Supongo que eso es mejor que nada. Tell me about the new house that I didn’t know you bought.” Anamaria demanded with a glare.

Rio knew he wasn’t really very good at keeping his mother in the loop but it was hard when he was trying to protect her.

“So, like Marcus tol' you. We moved closer to Queen 2. It’s a good neighborhood, good schools an’ what not. It was a foreclosure so we got it cheap, and then renovated. Elizabeth is just finishin’ up the decoratin’ then we’re movin’ in. The apartment above the store is a bit small fo’ all of us.”

“I bet. Those boys are wild together. I never thought I would see my Marcus running around like a crazy man. It’s good to see he needed to loosen up.”

“Well havin’ all those kids around has been an adjustment. Elizabeth usta let them run all over her. They’re learnin’ about helpin’ out now.”

“And you mi amor? What are you learning?”

Rio sighed.

“That bein’ a full time dad is a lot more work than a part time one. Those kids are a handful but good kids. Elizabeth has them in all these activities ballet, soccer, krav maga. It’s a little crazy. I’m hopin’ that, that will calm down a bit now that they aren’t bein’ pressured by their dad to be somethin’ they ain’t.”

“What about their papa? Is he around?”

“Nah, not anymore. He ain’t no good. Not trustworthy. Those kids are better off without him.” 

Rio peeked over his shoulder to make sure none of the kids had heard him, but they were all in the front yard still kicking the ball with Elizabeth watching them.

“What about your brother and sister. They know about your life changes?”

Shaking his head Rio sighed. “Nah, haven’t talked to Mariana for a while. she’s busy wit’ her own life. But Luca he knows. 

“Mijo, She still wants you to stay in touch. A new sobrina is a big thing. She'll want to come for the baby shower.” Then she frowned. “You told Luca before your mama?”

“Baby shower?” He looked incredulous. “Why we havin’ a baby shower? It ain’t her first baby or nothin’” He wasn’t touching on Luca knowing first, that was a whole separate lecture he didn’t want to get into.

“How much baby stuff do you have, mijo?”

Remembering that while they had tried picking out nursery stuff with Beth on bedrest they hadn’t gotten anything yet.

“Nada todavía, but we’ll get on it. Once the move is over we can get on that.”

“Or you could let your family help, mijo. We’re here for you. Does Beth have any family here?”

Rio shrugged. “Her sister is around, she’s the one seein’ Eddie. But her mom is gone, I think. She never talks about her parents”  _ Come to think about it she never had spoken about her family other than Annie _

“You think? Mijo you should know. You’re about to be family too!”

Nodding Rio sighed . “Si, mama. I’ll talk to her about family and a baby shower. But you tell Mariana and Luca they need to come. I ain’t got time for their interrogations too.”

Anamaria waved off his concern. “Si está bien. I’ll talk to them. But you need to do some talking too.” she told him sternly.

Rubbing his eyes Rio nodded. This whole domesticated shit was exhausting sometimes. Not when he was with Elizabeth but when he was trying to explain things to people who knew him before. It wasn’t that he’d gone soft or anything it was some things had become more important than making money.

Danny came running into the house with a grin. “Rio! Mom says hurry up. That she has cookies to bake since Pria took the afternoon off.”

Ruffling his hair, Rio grinned. “Ok, tell your ma I’ll be right out just sayin’ goodbye to mine.”

They both watched as he ran back to his mother. 

“You’re good with them. Like you are with Marcus.”

“Yeah, just feels natural. Elizabeth ain’t like other women I know other than you ma. Strong and soft at the same time. She’s good with Marcus too. Treats him like he was her own. I have no doubt she’d protect him like a bear if she needed to.”

“Ok then, I guess I’m getting 5 new grandchildren then.” Anamaria said determinedly. “I always loved a full house for the holidays.”

Wincing Rio coughed. “Well you might need to start divvying up the holidays. Elizabeth is all about the holidays an’ cookin’."

Anamaria looked surprised but shrugged, Claudia and Mariana had never seemed interested in cooking or hosting.

“You went and found yourself a good girl who takes care of you, huh?”

It was kind of a relief to hear that someone was watching out for her boy. He looked healthier, less sneaky if that was possible considering her son had been up to no good for more than half his life.

“Ok mama, I gotta go. Kids are gettin’ antsy and Elizabeth shouldn’t be on her feet for too long. The bedrest.”

“Ok, ok mijo. Don’t be gone so long and bring my grandbabies by. I’ll take care of them for you.”

He kissed his mother’s cheek and gave her a brief hug before heading out. Outside Beth was waiting for him, watching the kids buckle themselves into the car.

“Everything ok?”

He gave her a sly grin as he nodded. “Just takin’ my verbal beatin’ for not givin’ her the heads up. Everything's fine now. She likes you.”

Rio pulled her closer to kiss her knowing his mother was watching from the porch. Turning to wave he helped her into the car.

“Everyone strapped in?” he asked. 

The kids all yelled yes, causing him and Beth to wince at the noise. “Ok ok, let’s get goin’ then. Giving his mother one last wave, they headed back to the bakery to get ready for the upcoming week.


	16. Despite My Better Judgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Bullet met Pria

It started with a cup of coffee early in the morning. Pria wasn’t even sure why he was at the bakery so early, but she accepted it with a shy smile. He was a little intimidating covered tattoos. Pria’s family had always touched organized crime due to her uncle’s family running one of the largest crime families in India. They had expanded into the United States, but this was different.

When she had taken the job, it was with the clear understanding that she didn’t want to know about Beth’s other business. True to her word Beth had never asked to do anything that might be considered illegal. She covered the kids during an emergency.

Still, whenever there was an emergency she noticed that Bullet was always part of the security detail that Rio would send over to watch them.

It wasn’t long after he brought her coffee that he started to ask what she was making. At first she thought he was joking. But after the third time she realized he might actually be interested, so she started to explain the science behind making bread.

“So, right now I’m making the brioche bread. We only make it on Fridays. We make it into challah for our Jewish friends and loaves for everyone else. It’s pretty rich, with a lot of butter. Beth says it needs to rest for at least a day but I give it two, makes it richer.” She told him.

Nodding he asked her about the yeast she used. Shrugging Pria pointed to the packet of yeast on the counter.

“This isn’t like a sourdough needing a mother starter, plain old dry yeast works. The magic here is the butter.

Starting the stand mixture he was kind of surprised that she wasn’t doing it manually, and said so.

“With the amount of bread I’m making, I would have had to start last week. Queen bread is in hot demand most days of the week but brioche day is a crazy line out of the door.

Bullet shook his head and laughed. “You know when I first saw that crazy redhead I thought for sure we were gonna put her down for stealin’. But she’s really turned things around for all of us. Havin’ a legit business to work in is useful.”

Pria paled at his words and Bullet realized he had said too much and excused himself to the upstairs office. He stayed away for a week.

It was the night of the fire when he came rushing in, launching up the stairs followed by Annie and Eddie that she knew something was really wrong. Beth followed with the kids and Pria helped them upstairs and waited with them until Stan and Ruby came up to watch them.

She felt a little cut off, not knowing what was going on as they spoke in hushed voices in the second floor office. Heading back downstairs Pria let the part timers leave and locked up. When she walked back into the kitchen she found Bullet waiting for her in the kitchen. He looked uncomfortable.

“Somethin’ happened to Beth’s house. Burned down. You got extra security ‘round your place?”

Pria blinked in confusion. “Well my condo is gated.”

He nodded. “That should do. Not likely you’d be a target, but ya need to be careful for the next coupla days. No telling if there is going to be any retaliation.”

“Why would there be?”

Bullet shook his head. “We ain’t done nothin’, but a coupla organizations have been takin’ some hits. Queen’s unlikely, but be careful. I can follow ya home tonight just in case if you like.”

She thought about it for a minute before nodding. It wasn’t the first time she'd, had to take extra precautions for something that had nothing to do with her.

“I’d appreciate it really, just in case.”

Cleaning up quickly and making sure everything was ready for the morning Pria headed out; feeling secure knowing someone was following her. Once she entered her condo complex, he flashed his lights at her and drove off.

At the bakery the next day she watched as Beth deflected a pious PTA mom, it was hard to believe there were women like that still out there. Beth had not been amused and quickly put the woman in her place. It had led to a conversation about her ex and her current relationship. Until now she didn’t always understand what drew a woman to a guy on the dark side so to speak.

From what she had seen, Rio treated Beth like a queen. He took care of her kids like they were his own, but she also knew his work was dangerous.

She wasn’t there the night Rio was shot, but when she came in she found Bullet leaning against the stairwell sleeping on the bottom step. He had blood on his clothes and for a minute she thought he was injured and passed out until he started to snore lightly.

Starting the baking Pria let him sleep until the morning staff came in. Before they could see them she knelt in front of him giving his shoulder a light shake. Bullet reacted immediately grabbing her wrist. It took a couple of seconds as he blinked recognizing her and letting her go.

“The staff is here I didn’t think you’d want them to see you sleeping. Do you want a cup of coffee?”

Nodding Bullet stood up and stretched, causing his shirt to ride up and she couldn’t help but notice his toned abs. He smirked as he caught her glance, causing her to blush and move away to the espresso machine.

“Macchiato?”

“Sure that’d be great, can you add caramel?”

Laughing, Pria made his coffee handing him a steaming cup after adding his caramel drizzle.

“You’ve got blood on your shirt.”

“He looked down and grimaced.”

“Yeah it was a bad night last night. The boss got shot and so did Aviles. He’s still upstairs with the doc.”

Pria blanched. “Is Rio ok?”

He nodded. “Yeah, he lost a lot of blood but he’s doin’ ok. Ms Beth took care of him.”

She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and turned back to the mixer, adding the ingredients for the dough.

“That’s good.” she said shakily.

Coming up behind her, he put a light hand on her shoulder.

“He’s gonna be ok. I get you don’t want the life to touch ya, but sometimes we slip up and things happen.”

“I get that and I’m glad he’s ok. It’s just… it’s a lot.” She gave him a light smile. “I’ll be fine, takes time to get used to new things.”

“So you ain’t thinkin’ about quittin’?”

Pria made a face. “Are you kidding? This is one of the best jobs I’ve had. I have an easy-going boss, good hours and company.”

Bullet grinned. “That’s real good. I better go up and check on the boss, but I’ll be back.”

Shaking her head, Pria focused on baking and not the gangbanger who seemed to be spending more and more time with her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

Before working at Queen Pria had taken great care not to even look at the men who worked for or with her uncle. Even though her aunt was perfectly happy with her husband, that danger scared her. Now while she wasn’t even aware of what they did upstairs, she knew it wasn’t entirely legal. It didn’t seem to bother her as much as she thought it would, and the attention from Rio’s right hand didn’t hurt either.

Beth came down for bread a little while later because the kids wanted grilled cheese. Beth had offered to get her extra security but Pria held off, partially hoping that Bullet would offer again. Beth seemed to sense her confusion and asked if she wanted to talk, but she declined. As she was still processing things. What did she really want?

Pria could sense a difference in Beth when she came in. She was aware that Beth had picked up something from Bullet, catching him heading into the kitchen to chat with her. But so far her boss hadn’t said anything. Surprisingly Beth started baking, saying nothing much, but humming to herself.

Instead Beth told her about the new house they had purchased and Pria discovered that Beth worried that she hovered too much. Compared to her old job this was a dream.

The kids were playing in the kitchen where Dante had dropped them leaving Bullet and her to watch them, they were pretty easy but it was strange.

“Was he supposed to leave them with us, Bullet?”

He frowned as she said his name. “My real name is Benjamin, you can call me that yeah?”

Shrugging Pria nodded. “Ok, but are you on kid duty or is he shirking his job?”

“Nah, it’s ok, boss man told them if there was security in house they could just be dropped off. They’re safe here.”

Beth and Rio soon entered and gathered the kids, Beth thanked them but Pria barely noticed. She half expected Benjamin? Bullet? To follow them up but he hung around.

“So why do you want me to call you by your legal name?”

Chewing his lip Bullet shrugged. “Don’t want ya to think I’m only a thug. I got a mama out there that taught me right.”

Pria hid a small smile before going back to the small stand mixer prompting Benjamin to follow her over. 

“Watcha makin’ over here.”

“Well, I’m trying out a new tart idea. Maybe if you have time you could be my guinea pig?”

Without intending to he grinned. “Might find room for something tasty, what’s is it?”

“With the holidays almost here I was thinking eggnog chai tart with dried cranberries in the crust for a little tartness.”

Groaning Benjamin nodded. “Yeah I’m all about bein’ that guinea pig. How you come up with these ideas anyway?”

Even before Pria had started working there, Bullet had watched Beth making these creations with the ease he knew she cooked money. The dichotomy was distracting. Until Beth, he didn’t think you could live both kinds of lives; suburban mom and deadly criminal if needed. Yet that he had seen it with his own eyes, made him wonder.

“Not that hard, I use what’s in season mostly let my imagination go wild.”

Pria pointed at stool that had been moved to the big island overnight. “Go sit, I’ll get started. If you’re good, you might get to lick the bowl.” she teased.

He closed his eyes groaning at the joke. “Yeah you think you’re funny.”

“I am adorable.” she told him primly as she started to chop up the cranberries. Bullet had to admit she had some serious knife skills that made him feel better about her defending herself.

Pria moved efficiently through the kitchen as she got the tart shell into the oven and started working on the filling.

“You carry your knives with you?”

She frowned at the question. “Umm if I’m not coming in the next day, sure. Don’t want them wandering off. Why?”

“Can’t hurt carryin’ protection on the street. In tha house.”

“Oh, I can protect myself. I keep a taser in the car and if you think these knives are impressive, you should see the set I keep at home.”

“Mebbe you should show me just to make sure.” He suggested

“Maybe I should, but you have to get through being a guinea pig first."

Laughing Bullet settled on his stool watching her work steeping spices in eggnog while she stirred. As Pria stirred she questioned her own sanity. Sure his attention was flattering but did she want it to go beyond that?

“Would you mind bringing me six eggs? They’re in the walkin.” Pria chinned in the direction of the walkin cooler. Getting up, he wandered in to look for eggs.

“Umm I can’t find them. What shelf should I be lookin' on?”

Sighing, Pria turned down the burner and walked in to show him where the eggs were. She felt arms come around her waist and gasped as she was spun around.

“Needed to get you away from all the eyes.” He told her with eyes darkening. 

“Did you now? And what did you want to tell me?”

Her heart pounded in her chest. Sure they had been flirting lightly but she hadn’t expected him to take the next move. But here they were in the walkin and she couldn’t feel the cold.

“That you’re makin’ me fuckin’ crazy. Planned on takin’ my time, but I can’t wait anymore.” Bullet, no, Benjamin told her huskily.

Pulling her closer, Pria felt herself leaning into his touch and they were about to kiss when the walkin door opened and they pulled apart quickly. Rio walked in grabbing some of the muscovado sugar and gave them a knowing look before saying good night.

Flushing, Pria grabbed the eggs and went back to the kitchen. _ What was she thinking messing around at work? Where else are you going to mess around you’re always at work! _

Following her out Benjamin took his seat again and watched as she tempered the eggs before adding them back into the custard.

“So I was thinking you’re right you should check out the security at my condo. Just to be safe.” She told him with a small smile.

Bullet propped himself up on an elbow and gave her a lazy grin. “Just tell me when darlin’ and I’ll be there to make sure you’re safe.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reviewing and fixing my errors DropkickDisco and Goldfishangie


	17. Bringing up the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie and Beth have some things to figure out.

Annie was sprawled out on the floor of Beth’s craft room surrounded by tulle, as Beth worked on Emma’s Bo Peep costume. She wanted the little girl to have both the full skirt and pantaloons. In the closet hung, Spiderman, Beetlejuice and a vampire cape. Thankfully for Jane’s Gabby Gabby she could repurpose one of Emma’s old dresses for Jane making it frilly and fluffy like the doll in the movie.

“Annie, you were supposed to be helping me with the costumes, not playing with the fabric.”

Rolling her eyes, Annie rolled over to face her sister. “Like you really thought I was going to be useful. I don’t know anything about sewing!”

“Well at least be entertaining. You’re rolling around in tulle and glitter, what is your son going to say?”

“That’s its a typical Wednesday when I’m not working.”

It was Beth’s turn to roll her eyes at her sister.

“Naturally.”

A comfortable silence settled on them as Beth ran the sewing machine. She had made great work on the boys stuff, but the girls needed a more delicate touch and Halloween was tomorrow. 

Beth cleared her throat and looked a little uncomfortable. “Do you ever think about mom and daddy?”

Annie sat straight up like she had been electrocuted. “What? Where is this coming from?”

Shrugging, Beth kept here eye on the fabric running through the machine.

“Rio and I were talking a bit about the past and our families. He asked if I had ever tried reaching them and I told him I hadn’t. Have you tried?”

Scoffing Annie shook her head. “No way, I don’t remember him and I got enough of her to last a lifetime. Are you thinking about it?”

“I don’t know but not likely. He probably moved on to a new family and I wouldn’t know what to say to mom. We walked out on her too.”

“We did not walk out! We escaped! She didn’t want us there Beth, you know that.”

“I know, I know. But maybe she needed us? We never checked if she was ok.”

“She didn’t come looking for us either. Sure this fancy place is a far cry from where you started but if she’s still at home; she’s less than an hour away.”

Logically Beth knew Annie was right. Their childhood had been a nightmare when their father walked out. Mom had gone from being despondent with what now Beth suspected was Postpartum Depression to actually mean when she was drunk. Effectively, Beth had lost what was left of her teenage hood to make sure Annie had what she needed.

Looking back she supposed it's what made Dean so appealing. His family seemed so normal on the surface compared to hers. It wasn’t until the scholarship ran out did she consider marrying him, mostly because they needed to know they had a safe place to live as their mother was becoming more erratic with each day.

“I get that and I’m not saying we did anything wrong because we didn’t, we both did what we had to keep a roof over our heads and able to eat.”

“Yeah you really fell on your sword marrying Dean. I just wish you hadn’t had to drop out of school. You were a good student.”

Beth flushed at the compliment. “It’s ok, it's what needed to happen and I’m using two years of a business degree to run the bakeries so it wasn’t wasted.”

“Do you ever think of going back? Getting your business degree?”

Laughing off the suggestion, Beth reached for some white tulle that Annie was half sitting on. “Move over, I need that for the under fittings.”

Annie scooted over allowing Beth to grab the tulle.

“No, seriously why wouldn’t you go back? You’ve always been the smart one.”

Beth sighed. “I am also the one who runs two bakeries, a less than legal side business and has five soon to be six children to care for.”

“Yeah, but you have an actual partner to help you now.”

Giving her sister a shocked look, Beth almost had to catch her breath as the baby kicked an organ, hard.

“What is this I hear? Annie Marks no longer considers Rio the embodiment of the devil?”

Annie snorted but shook his head. “Nope, he’s proven himself. You’re not easy to deal with not pregnant and he hasn’t lost his shit with you yet.”

Beth laughed. “We’ve learned to use our words I’ll agree with that. Makes things so much easier than plotting around each other.”

“That’s my sister part of a crime power couple.”

“There are worse things I suppose.” Beth responded with a chuckle. “If nothing else we get people's attention..”

“Yeah they're wondering why you’re with someone like him.”

“And if they ask it’s because he’s an amazing partner, quality father and all around a mostly good guy.”

“Only mostly good?” A deep voice came from the doorway. Looking up Beth beamed at him a little.

“Well if you were all good would I really be interested? I thought it was clear I was into bad boys these days?” She teased

“True story mama, even when you should leave the bad boy alone you still got in my face.”

Beth shrugged, “You’re not that scary.” she joked.

Annie’s eyes volliled between them for a minute.

“Ok, you gotta help me with this I think Beth should really think about going back and getting her degree..”

Annie! Hush, It's not a realistic idea right now. Maybe in a couple of years.” 

She could feel Rio’s eyes on her and knew there was a conversation coming but she was putting it off as long as she could.

“Come see the costumes. I’m finishing up the girls right now but the boys are already for tomorrow.” She pointed to the closet where they hung.

“Looks good ma, but you ain’t supposed to be working so hard.”

“Ok, one I’m off bed rest and two it’s not hard, it’s fun and I’m still sitting down for most of it.”

Rio raised an eyebrow and she met his eyes calmly. He gave her a knowing look before changing the subject and walking over to the closet.

“You good with Posole and botillos for dinner? Tia Carmen sent over a pot along with a chocoflan.”

“I have no idea what Posole is but ok if it’s not too spicy just in case the heartburn comes back. She doesn’t have to do this though. I can cook.”

“Yeah, good luck in telling Tia that. She likes takin’ care of you.”

Beth shook her head, even Judith hadn’t been so caring mostly she was concerned that Dean had what he needed. Rio’s family clearly though she needed some pampering or whatever it was. She was learning not to feel like they thought she couldn’t do it, but that they wanted to be involved. It was very foreign to her.

“Make sure you tell her thank you. The boys will be delighted. Now go away so I can finish Bo Peep and work on Gabby Gabby.”

Rio shook his head and laughed as he left leaving Annie sitting there staring at her sister.

“Who are you? When Judith offered to bring over food you insisted you were fine!.”

Shrugging Beth went back to her sewing. “They don’t make me feel like I’m incompetant. Judith looked down at me like I didn’t know how to take care of my family.”

Annie nodded, it made sense; Judith had always kind of looked down on them for not having a proper family or whatever.

“Are you going to do it?”

“Go back to school? No, Annie not until the baby is in school I just don’t have the time and I don’t need it to be successful.”

Shaking her head Annie chuckled. “No, not school finding mom and dad.”

Beth sighed as she put in the final stitches and started pulling out lace for the hem. “Oh I doubt it. What would I say?

“Dunno, maybe they’re dead? That would be good to know.”

“Let’s think on it. Once we go down this path we can’t take it back.”

“Beth, it’s not that dramatic, we’re just looking to see where they ended up, not contacting them or anything.”

“Let’s decided tomorrow after trick or treating. Are you bringing Sadie over?”

“Yep” Annie’s lips popped on the P. “Your neighborhood is even better now. Bet its all full size candy bars.”

Laughing Beth shook her head. “I’m sure you’re right I think that’s why Kenny wanted to go this year. He might be getting over Halloween in general.”

“It might be Sadie’s last year too. I hate that they're growing up so fast. Maybe I should have another baby too?”

She laughed at Beth’s skeptical look. “Are you really thinking about having another baby?”

Annie shrugged. “I dunno, me and Eddie have a good thing going. There might come a time where he wants a kid of his own. I’m not taking it off the table.”

Nodding Beth continued sewing the lace on. Once the hem was done she was taking a break. Jane’s dress would take no time at all.

“That actually sounds fair, besides you’re younger than I am, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  
  


“Is that what kept you from using protection? You thought you were too old to get pregnant again?”

“I think it’s more we didn’t think about protection more interested in getting naked. The things that man can do!” A lustful look came over Beth’s face.

“Ew, ew stop that! You’re thinking of him naked which is going to make me think about what he looks like naked and I can’t deal with that!”

Beth laughed. “What can I say? I really like having sex with him.”

“Yeah, I know and look where that got you.”

“You mean a gorgeous family, new house and what will probably be the most stunning baby in the world?”

Annie frowned. “Yeah, all that.”

“My life is awful. Let’s go eat.”

Dinner was a raucous affair with the boys playing with the various condiments that went along with eating posole.

After dinner it was an affair of cleaning and homework and Annie adding confusion for a while until Beth sent her and Jane off to watch tv while the rest finished up.

Sitting with her laptop open Beth stared at the Google search screen hard,lost in thought.

“Ma, you stare at that thing any harder and it might got up in flames. What's got you thinkin’ so hard?”

She looked up at Rio and shrugged. “Debating with myself. Pros or Cons about looking up my parents.”

For once Rio was surprised and his face showed it. “You really wanna know?”

“I don’t know. I worry it’s like Pandora’s box, I don’t know how I will take the information once I know.”

“That’s fair.” Rio told her with a nod. “Ain’t no tellin’ how you’ll feel. What does Annie say?”

“She wants to know but she won’t do it alone. I’m the one who has to bite the bullet.”

He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “Can’t tell you what to do mama. Even if I did, you’d never listen.”

A smile came to her lips. “That’s mostly true. I’ve gotten better about not doing it all by myself haven’t I?”

“Better but ya ain’t great at it yet. Don’t think I didn’t see you stiffen when I tol’ you Tia sent dinner.”

She flushed, knowing he had noticed. “But I was gracious about it after a second.” Beth countered.

“True true. I’ll give you that. Still askin’ for help ain’t your favourite thing.”

“Hush you, “Beth told him with a smile as she swatted at his hand.away. “Go make some tea while I consider upending our whole life.”

Laughing Rio left her alone and Beth continued to stare contemplating a future that could involve the family they had left behind.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Goldfishangie and DropkickDisco for your review


	18. Planning and playing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby shower and gossip

As promised Anamaria reached out to Annie and Ruby about throwing Beth a proper baby shower. She soon found herself with two very happy conspirators in her kitchen, making plans.

“So Beth hasn’t had a baby shower since Kenny was born. All the other kids had hand me downs and the small things she made for them individually.” Annie informed her. 

“She’s already working on the blanket for the baby. This one is lavender, so I think purple is going to be the theme.” Ruby updated them as well.

“So, from what I hear she needs anything that she and my son haven’t been able to agree on because she wants practical and he wants lavish.”

Annie snorted because that was just like her sister, even when she could be spoiled she wouldn’t.

“Sounds like Beth, she can be impossible about these things. She rarely spoils herself, but everyone around her gets the best of everything.”

Anamaria nodded, it sounded like the woman she had met only a couple of times. Christopher’s opposite nature would be good for her.

“I say she has a proper baby shower. Mariana, Christopher’s sister is flying in for the weekend to meet her. There is no reason for us not to create the nursery of her dreams.”

Together they made a list of what they would need from silly games to studying the registry Rio had given them.

“So they need all the basics.” Ruby told them. “Did they add a couple of car seats to their list?”

Annie reviewed the registry and shook her head. “They only put one but they’ll need two. No point in moving it every time.”

Anamaria nodded. “Yes, imagine if one left with the car seat and the other needed to go somewhere.”

Soon their attention was moved to the food and decorations.

“My sister Carmen has offered to make all the food. Are there any food restrictions?”

Annie and Ruby looked at each other and shrugged. “Not really, but she knows it’s a small party right? Beth doesn’t have many real friends.”

Ruby looked down at the guest list she had written. “I have you, Annie, Mariana, Pria, Maggie, and Carmen. So don’t let her cook for twenty.”

They watched as Rio’s mother’s eyes went wide. “She has no other friends? Not that you aren’t wonderful, but why?”

Annie shrugged. “When she was married she was fake friends with the PTA moms, one of whom slept with her husband. It’s really just been us. We have issues.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, issues were an understatement. At least she saw people at church. Annie and Beth only saw customers and possible criminals.

Anamaria hemmed and hawed. “We should invite Luca’s wife Samantha, she’s always lovely and maybe Carlos and Dags' wives?”

Annie’s eyes bugged out. “They have wives?” She blurted out.

Laughing, Anamaria shook her head. “Of course they have wives and children. It’s not all for the thrill of it.”

Both women thought about it and shrugged. “I’d invite them, the more the merrier and Beth’s still not used to not living a double life.”

The guest list filled and food being handled by Carmen, the three ladies settled into gossip.

“So tell me the truth, your sister is involved with my son’s business?”

Annie and Ruby traded looks before they nodded. “Yeah, we made the mistake of accidentally stealing from him when we were robbing a grocery store.”

Anamaria gave them a wide-eyed look. “You stole from him? And he didn’t kill you or maim you?”

Clearly, Anamaria knew a lot about her son’s business but both women shook their heads. 

“Nope, Beth batted those baby blues, told him he was an idiot and that he should take advantage of the cover we offered him. Who would suspect three suburban housewives? We made bank for him for a while. Then he flipped his game or something.”

“That sounds like him, but he kept you around?”

Annie looked a little sheepish. “I think that’s when they started sleeping together, then stuff happened and they weren’t speaking. Out of nowhere, he shows back up about seven months ago and suddenly we’re playing happy families.” There was still a hint of bitterness in her voice but she was mostly over it.

“I’m guessing the baby was a surprise to everyone?”

Ruby nodded, “Especially to Beth, I don’t think it crossed either of their minds to use protection. Their interest in each other surpassed everything.”

Ana blinked, very little surprised her, but Rio taking his eye off of business was a surprise. "Whatever they feel for each other must be very powerful, because my son is not an understanding or forgiving man.”

“When it comes to Beth she’s like catnip to him. And I don’t think Beth has ever been so into anyone, including Dean. It’s like Dean was a placeholder until she met Rio and she woke up.” Ruby explained a little.

Ruby understood that completeness being with Stan, Annie shook her head.

“I’ll admit I was not his biggest fan, but even I slowly started to get it.” she admitted.

Ana laughed. “I get it, he’s an acquired taste. I guess I was surprised at how much they shared.”

“It wasn’t always like that. Honestly, I really did think they were going to kill each other rather than let her think she killed him.” Ruby confessed

“He did what now?” Ana asked looking horrified

“Faked his death with a gun he put in her hand.” Annie told her almost gleefully. “Apparently they were just blanks. She thought she had killed him until he sent a card congratulating her on the bakery.”

Ana could only shake her head. “That son of mine, es un idiota.”

Annie could help but let out a squeal of delight. “See! I told you that shit was messed up.”

“How did she forgive him?”

Ruby shrugged. “Even angry, they couldn’t stay away from each other. He came back wanting to expand on her ideas as a partner and she went for it. Soon it was more than attraction and he had insinuated himself into her house and life.”

“Next thing we know we have a grand opening, she’s pregnant and here we are.” Annie added.

“So that baby was a real surprise.”

“Enough of a surprise that she refused to believe it for a while. I’m pretty sure he had to force-feed her the idea.”

“Ay my son. Es imposible, sometimes. But I’m glad it worked out. They seem like a stable family now.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed it, but it really does work for them. Compared to Deansy, Rio is an actual partner. He actually parents the kids, neither of them plays the fun parent. They’re all doing better with them together.” Annie grudgingly admitted.

Ana gave Annie a searching look. “And you? I understand you’re involved with one of Rio’s boys? Doesn’t give you a lot of room to talk, yes?”

Ruby snorted. “Don’t worry that wouldn’t stop Annie at all, she and Beth are held to very different standards.”

“That’s not true!" Annie yelped.

Ruby gave Annie a side-eye. “Mmhmm.”

Annie huffed. “Fine, I needed to grow up and learn that Rio wasn’t going to steal Beth from me.”

“That’s better.”

“And I’m getting better at adulting.” Annie counters.

“That’s right you are, but that’s more Eddie than Beth.”

Ana laughs at their interaction. “All's well that ends well. And we have a baby coming. That has to be the best part.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Dropkickdisco for reviewing this


	19. Should the worst happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rio and Beth think and prepare for any possible future

With all that had been going on in their lives, Beth and Rio had agreed they needed to get some things down on paper. Things, regarding what should happen should they not get to retire from their lucrative, but illegal business.

They sat in the lobby of Gretchen’s law firm, Rio’s knee bouncing viciously as they waited.

“This wouldn’t be happening if you had called and made an appointment like I suggested. You can’t expect her to be at our beck and call.”

“My ten thousand dollar retainer should keep her at my beck and call.” Rio grumbled.

About five minutes later they were led into Gretchen’s office, where Rio practically threw himself into a chair.

“You do realize I have other clients, right?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, but none that keep you on your toes like I do.” He countered with an easy grin.

“What brings you two to my office? Anyone arrested? Ex-husbands, to terrorize?”

“Yeah, no, we’re here to set up our wills and whatnot. With the family gettin’ bigger, it was better to hedge our bets.”

If she was surprised, Gretchen hid it well. She pressed the call button on her phone and a paralegal quickly entered.

“So, what is the plan?”

Clearing his throat, Rio looked over at Beth, to confirm their decisions.

“First off, we’re leaving everything to the kids. With either my mother, Annie or Mariana as executor.”

Notes were quickly typed out.

“Custody should fall to each other, should something happen to one of us. Elizabeth doesn’t want Dean around them anymore.”

Taking a deep breath, Beth continued.” Should the worst happen, custody should go to Claudia and Anamaria. If they can't, Annie or Mariana.”

Just the idea of not being there for their kids made her chest tight, still, taking these precautions might keep them all safer.

“The bakeries are for the kids, but run by Ruby until they know what they want to do with them.”

“An’ the bars and restaurants should be run by current management until Luca or Marcus decide to sell up or somethin’.”

“What about your investment funds?”

“Split evenly between all the kids.” Rio told Gretchen firmly. “They’re each other's family now. If we’re gone, they only have each other.”

“And your family.” Beth added. “I don’t see Ana letting anyone wander away.”

Rio reached out and squeezed her hand. “You’re right about that. She loves those kids like their blood. They won’t ever be alone.”

Beth took a shaky breath, she didn’t like talking about things like this. But the last year had taught her that nothing in life was guaranteed.

“Can we make it airtight that they don’t have to see Dean, unless they want to?”

Gretchen gave a short nod, her brief meeting with the man had left a bad taste, and she didn’t blame the woman for wanting to keep her kids from him. 

“He gave you primary custody and you’re making other people guardians. It will be hard for a judge to reverse that. And he doesn’t have a history of child support or anything. I’ll make sure we make it as difficult as possible.”

“That’s good, he tried, but he wasn’t a good father. They’ll be safer with their real family.”

Saying that made something lift in Beth’s chest. Dean’s family had never really accepted her and Dean had let them look down on her, but Rio’s family, at least his mother and Claudia, had accepted them all. She knew even if she was gone, they would still accept the kids and Annie.

“Is there anything we didn’t cover?”

Gretchen shook her head. “You’ve covered most of it. If I have any questions or need clarification, I’ll call.”

They walked out of the office, not quite hand in hand, but close so people knew they were together. Beth still rolled her eyes at the looks they received, walking together. Her belly was on proud display. 

“You hungry? Or we could look for nursery furniture.” Rio teased.

“Haha, way to remind me what needs to get done. Let’s get some food and then see if I’m up for shopping.”

They found a little brunch place near Gretchen’s office and they both ordered tea. Beth missed coffee less, but knew, for now, tea was better.

“Do you feel better now, Mama?”

Beth nodded. “Yes, don’t you? We know for sure our kids are ok.”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing. But don’t think of this as a reason for you to be gettin’ reckless or somethin'. Our kids would rather have their mama than this money.”

“I know, I know. Just this past year has been a lot. I needed to know.”

“Yeah, so back to the nursery you’ve been avoidin’. What’s up with that?”

Beth shrugged. “It seems so final, and I’m not sure I’m ready for her to arrive.” she admitted. “This has been my best pregnancy, bedrest aside.”

“You mean havin’ someone you can count on, an’ not doin’ it all yourself?”

She nodded.

“That ain’t gonna change once she gets here. You got a lot of extra hands to help you. Ma is gonna be around so much, you’re gonna ask her to leave.”

“I will not! I never had a mother around to help before. Judith only showed up to criticize me, and tell me I needed to take better care of my family.”

Rio’s face screwed up at that comment. “Well, that ain’t happenin’ this time around. ‘Sides, Kenny is old enough to start doin’ more around the house. I’m gonna teach him to do laundry.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, if he sees a man doin’ the work. I think he’ll fight it less. For now, he’s gonna be responsible for his clothes, see how he does.”

The idea of Kenny doing his own laundry was a concept that Beth had never considered, but he was a teenager.

“Ok, I’ll support that. It’s one of those skills he’ll need in college anyway.”

After their brunch, Rio led them to Crate and Barrel, despite Beth’s objections. “We don’t need to be spending this much on baby furniture.”

“It won’t all be baby furniture, and the crib is gonna be around for a while, at least until she’s three.”

Beth had to admit, he had a point. “I guess we could look for matching conversion kits, to have her ready for her own room.” she conceded.

Inside the store, she was a little overwhelmed at the choices. Her kids had all had a basic Target model, that by the time it got to Jane, it was nearly falling apart.

These ones were luxurious, real wood finishes. It made Beth see that what she had thought about, wouldn’t fit in the new house. All the other kids had brand new beds, and so should the baby.

They'd finally decided on a set and because it was on clearance (something Beth was happy about.) Rio insisted that they buy the matching kid's bed so when the time came the set would still be complete. Twenty -eight hundred dollars later, a number that nearly made Beth sick, all the furniture for the baby was on order for delivery.

She was assured it would be set up for them. 

“I can’t believe we spent that much money!”

“Relax, Mama. It's an investment for the baby. Now, we don’t got to do it again until she’s five.”

“Ugh, I know, but still. “

“You have no idea what they’re spendin’ for your shower. This little girl is gonna have the best of everythin’!”

“I hope they don’t go too overboard, she’s a baby, she won’t notice.”

“Nah, but you will, havin’ quality stuff for her makes her safer, yeah?”

There was a certain logic to his argument, and Beth couldn’t deny that the furniture was gorgeous.

“Ok, I’m letting it go. It will look perfect in her room.”

Rio grinned, it wasn’t often she capitulated without a long drawn out conversation.

“Ok, I’ve got to go to Queen, see how Cal is doing and finish up the flour order. Make sure your contact has everything ready for shipment.”

“I got you, things will be fine on my end.

She gave him a light kiss before getting into her car and driving to the bakery, satisfied that should the worst happen, their family would be ok.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Dropkickdisco for your review


	20. Some Kind of Wonderful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie and Eddie fun

“I think we should get a place together, you know like, to live together.”

The statement came out of nowhere. She and Eddie had been having a nice simple dinner she had made herself (under supervision)and they were just waiting for The Voice to come on. 

Annie looked at Eddie's mouth open for a minute. “What did you just say?

“I said, that I think you and I should live together. We’ve been together for a bit. I’m practically living here anyway. Why don’t we get a place big enough for all of us?” Eddie asked again. It wasn’t the first time he had mentioned moving in together but this time he looked really serious.

“Really? I’m sure I only want to be with you, but you’d be taking on me and Ben and ..”

“Yeah, I know all that. I think he’s cool with me. We hang out and talk. If we want to be together why not just do it? Sure we don’t have to buy a place right away, but at least rent together.”

Annie chewed nervously on her lip. Her track record for good relationships was pretty much nil. This would be a huge step for her.

“Well, why don’t we make sure Ben is ok with it, and then start looking?”

Eddie looked over at Annie and reached for her hand to give it a squeeze. “Ben is going to be fine with it. You know this. I don’t want to pressure you or anythin’, but this is a you decision.”

He watched with wariness and fascination as he could see Annie’s thoughts race over her face.

“Just think about it, yeah? We don’t have to decide tonight or nothin’.”

Annie relaxed a little and then they were both distracted by the show coming on. While Eddie seemed enthralled with the show, Annie was distracted by the earlier conversation and she pulled out her phone.

**A: 911 Eddie suggested we move in together again!!**

**B: Do you want to live together?”**

**R: What does Ben think?”**

**A: I don’t know and I don’t know!! Help**

**R: Chill out. Think about it.**

**A: He wants to get a house he even mentioned buying a place!!**

**B: That is serious, it’s a lot of commitment. Are you up for that?”**

**R: You’re scaring her more B let her think for herself**

**A: I can’t think for myself! I shouldn’t be trusted with serious choices!**

**B: Annie, calm down do you have to decide tonight?**

**A: Well, no**

**B: Then enjoy your evening and think about it tomorrow.**

  
  


Putting down her phone, Annie sighed before moving over to cuddle with Eddie. When he heard the sigh, he looked over at her.

“Everything ok?”

She smiled as she put her head on his shoulder.

“Yep, everything’s fine. Who won the last round?”

Eddie looked over and shook his head, before telling her Adam had gotten the contestant on his team. He knew Annie’s mind wasn’t really on the show, but he knew she was also freaking out internally.

With Ben at Nancy's for the night, it wasn’t hard to clean up and go to bed. Laying next to Annie, he put an arm around her waist, cuddling up to her.

“Stop thinking, and go to sleep. You can freak out about this tomorrow, with your sister.”

Annie squirmed a little but settled into an uneasy sleep.

_ When she woke up she was in a suburban home. It was a disaster, she could hear kids screaming from the other room as she pulled herself out of bed with a groan. _

_ Downstairs there were three kids running around half-dressed, spilled juice on the floor, and Eddie sitting on the couch drinking a beer. _

_ “Hey babe, can you start breakfast or somethin’, these kids are getting on my nerves.” _

_ “Can’t you do it yourself, you cook better than I do.” _

_ Eddie’s face clouded. “I thought we agreed, I’ll take care of the money, you take care of the kids and house.” _

_ “Why on earth would I ever agree to something like that!” Annie screeched surprising herself. _

_ As if in answer, Beth appeared in her perfect Stepford wife attire and looked around the house. _

_ “Annie, I thought I taught you better than this! We keep the house and take care of the kids. That’s our ship. Let the men run the rest.” _

_ Annie stared at Beth like she had grown another head. “Like you would ever let Rio get away with that.” _

_ Beth wrinkled her nose. “Rio? Who is that? You know I let Dean take care of things. So much easier not thinking about that sort of thing.” _

_ Annie felt her head start pounding as the kids screamed, Eddie ignored her and Beth lectured her about being the perfect housewife and learning to bake for the PTA. _

Waking up with a shout, Annie panted a little as she got herself back to reality. Eddie snuffled a little in his sleep. Annie wanted to hit him, but it wasn’t his fault he had been a jerk in her dream.

The next morning Annie met Beth at Queen 2, where she was sifting flour to get their product. Beth could see the disgruntled look on her face and asked what was going on.

“Horrible dream, can’t shake it off.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

Pulling out a stool, Annie told Beth about the messy house and the random screaming kids, Eddie being a dick and her being "perfect mom".

“You know I’m not really a "perfect mom" right?”

“You used to pretend to be.”

“And now, I’m sifting pills out of my very expensive flour, so yeah, those days are gone.”

“In my dream, you were happy with Dean, and letting him steer the ship.”

Beth turned a little green at that thought. “Yeah, that won’t ever happen again.” she said with a shudder. “So basically, you had a nightmare about turning into old me, or not being old me. You’re not me Annie. Eddie doesn’t expect that much less, he’s never even known me as that. You do remember how we met him, right? Bleeding out on Jane’s bed? He knows you’re not Martha Stewart.”

Annie grinned at the memory. “True dat, I’m more Sandra Lee, can’t pass up a cocktail.”

“So, are you feeling better?”

Cocking her head to the side, Annie nodded. “So Rio doesn’t expect perfect Beth, and I’ve never been perfect Annie. So if we get a house, that shouldn’t change, right?”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Annie, you can barely make three decent meals. If it weren’t for Eddie, everything you and Ben ate would be from a box. Eddie knows who you are, and that’s why he wants you two to live together. The real question is what do you want to do?”

Annie paused, closing her eyes. “I’m really a grown-up, right?”

“Yes, Annie. I know that I often treat you like a child when you are acting like one, but you are an actual adult. An adult who should be making their own choices.”

Annie stuck her tongue out at Beth. “Ok, then, I will make a decision and update you tomorrow.”

Laughing, Beth went back to sifting as she shook her head.

Later that evening, back at the apartment, Annie sat on the couch and really thought about Eddie and their life together. They did seem to work, and for two people who acted like kids, they had actually pulled themselves together. Better than her and Greg or her and Noah, nope not going there.

When Eddie had mysteriously left at the same time Rio had. Annie had realized she didn’t like it, and it felt strange for him not to sleep beside her. She imagined this was how Beth felt right now, with Rio gone.

She opened the refrigerator, Annie realized how much it had changed. No soda or take out boxes, nothing looked like it was rotten or growing. On her own, she pulled out basil, tomatoes, and some garlic.

Annie remembered an easy one-pot pasta recipe from some magazine Beth had, and she started to make dinner. By the time Eddie came home, it was almost ready and she had poured them each a glass of wine.

“What’s the occasion, babe?”

Taking a deep breath, Annie turned from the pot she was stirring and smiled.

“The occasion is that I finally made an adult decision.”

He grinned, trying not to laugh. “Did you now? I thought you did that on a relatively regular basis.”

Shaking her head, Annie pulled the pot from the stove and started serving up dinner. “Yeah, about Ben or something important, sure. About myself, rarely.”

“Alright, then, what big adult decision have you made?”

As she filled up their plates and handed one to him.

“I want us to find a place that’s ours. Now, I’m not going to promise I won’t freak out or anything, cause I’m gonna. But, I want us to be together. When you were gone for the week, it really sucked. While you could stay in touch this time, what about the next time? I don’t want to waste time being away from each other if we don’t have to…”

Eddie moved quickly around the corner, pulling Annie into his arms, kissing her fiercely.

“You mean it?”

Nodding, Annie smiled. “I do, I’m all in. With everything.”

Whooping, Eddie swung Annie around before hauling to the bedroom as she giggled over his shoulder.


	21. Más que nada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fathers and Sons - Rio gets familiar with being home

_ I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy _

_ To be calm when you've found something going on _

_ But take your time, think a lot _

_ Why, think of everything you've got _

_ For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not _

  
  


Marcus sat out back on the picnic table, staring out of the darkness. What had started out as a nice day had gotten sour, which made him start thinking about the weeks his dad was gone, and he started to swing his legs angrily. 

“Hey Pop, what’s goin’ on?”

He looked over his shoulder to see his dad walking down the stairs towards him.

Tightening his jaw, Marcus shrugged reluctant to answer his father. Sighing, he finally spoke.

“We missed you.”

“Yeah?”

Nodding, Marcus kept his eyes on his feet.

“Did you miss me?” Rio asked, trying to catch Marcus’ eyes.

The little boy stilled and looked up at his father. “I was scared you wouldn’t come home. Uncle Luca said you were going to a war zone.”

Rio cursed under his breath. Not that it was Luca’s fault. The way he had torn out of there in the midst of the party and whatnot, it would have been hard to keep things from the kids.

“Yeah, I had to go to South America, your Abuelo needed some help.”

“Why you and not Uncle Luca or Tia Mari?”

“Well, ‘cause they had to help him in other ways, kiddo.”

“Ms Beth, was really scared and she cried a lot. I didn’t know what to do. Mama, said you were a cat running out of lives. Are you gonna die?”

Realizing that Claudia was probably pretty pissed off Rio cracked his neck and sighed. “Nah Pop. I’m good, for reals. “

Visibly relaxing Marcus leaned into his dad.

“Feelin’ a bit better?” It always made Rio ache when he saw what the life he led affected Marcus.

“Yeah a bit. Ms Beth made brownies and ice cream and we did play forts a lot, we stayed on schedule so we could still spend time together.”

Not for the first time Rio said a little prayer of gratitude that the major women in his life worked well together, this whole thing could have gone horribly

“Sounds like they tried to make things as fun as possible. Did you get the chance to talk to your uncle and auntie?”

“No, but they said they would be back for the baby, so that’s ok.”

Knowing that, for a little kid, time was very relative. The baby was still this far off notion rather than almost a month away.

“Yeah, they’ll be back after Christmas. Speakin’ of Christmas, have your written out your list yet? Maybe give a hint to what the other kids want.”

Marcus giggled, and started telling him about the two new games he and Danny had heard about, and that Jane didn’t want any more dolls. He kept chattering on as Rio just leaned into him, enjoying the sound of his voice. 

Soon, Marcus started yawning and Rio picked him up carrying him into the house. Elizabeth and his mother were finishing up the dishes, but it seemed like everyone else had left.

“Ma, you don’t got to do all this, we could clean up in the mornin’.”

“Aye mijo, I wanted to make sure you could have an easy morning, now that you’re home with your family. You don’t need to be cleaning up, your first day back.”

“Thanks Ma, I’m gonna take him up to bed. He had a big day and ate far too much pie.”

Both women nodded, as Rio walked upstairs with a drooling Marcus on his shoulder. Since he was a baby, the boy hit sleep hard.

It was like wrestling a dead octopus, trying to get him into his pjs. Danny was asleep on the top bunk, half undressed. He wasn’t able to laugh, but wrangled the sleeping boy into his pjs as well.

He sat there for a while, just watching the two of them sleep, without a care in the world. That was what he wanted for them. Not this nonsense that had taken him away from them. Rio knew his bed was made, but these boys would never know it.

While he had been away, he often sat out in the night, after talking to Elizabeth and the kids. Wondering, if the man in the tent had ever felt like this; torn between life and love. Eduardo had been smart enough to keep Rio away from the front lines, using him mostly for negotiations. It had taken Rio everything not to snap at him, when the old man had asked about Marcus and the new baby.

Sitting on the edge of Marcus' bed, Rio felt that he was starting to maybe understand, but not condone why his father had let them leave. The time would come when Marcus would learn the truth, and decide for himself which is more than his father gave him. Until then, that innocence and sweetness was all Rio cared about.

Did his own father even care, how his “enterprise” had affected his kids? Luca had anxiety and PTSD from their childhood, and Mari might be more of a sociopath than he was. He didn’t know what this life would do to these kids he protected.

Out of habit, he next checked on Kenny, who wasn’t asleep, but watching tv.

“How you doin’?”

Kenny shrugged, “Ok, glad we have a long weekend. Maybe we can go play football in the park?” he asked hopefully.

“Sounds like a good idea, just you an’ me, or can the younger ones come too?”

“Just us? It was weird, you not being here. I tried to keep up with Sunday breakfast and stuff, so mom would feel like things were normal.”

“Yeah? That’s real good, you steppin’ up an’ helping your mama like that. I’m proud of you.”

Kenny squirmed under the praise, as he yawned. “Go to bed, you can watch the rest of the movie tomorrow.”

The teenager nodded, followed by another yawn. Rio smirked, as he turned off the light and closed the door.

_ It's not time to make a change _

_ Just sit down, take it slowly _

_ You're still young, that's your fault _

_ There's so much you have to go through _

_ Find a girl, settle down _

_ If you want you can marry _

_ Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy _

His feet took him up to the tower. It still made him smile, thinking of those girls playing in their tower and castle beds. As Rio peeked in, he could see them in their beds. Emma was primly tucked, but Jane looked like she had fallen into bed with her butt up in the air, with her legs hanging off. 

Jane was dead weight to move, into what he hoped was a more comfortable position. He couldn’t help but ruffle her hair, the girl did everything hard, including sleep.

Silently, he made his way downstairs, where he found Elizabeth curled up on the couch, knitting. She looked up and smiled. “Everything safe in the kingdom?”

Rio settled in next to her, picking up the ball of yarn, playing with it in his fingers. 

“Yeah Mama, you did good, kept the kingdom safe an’ happy.” He leaned in, and placed a light kiss on her cheek. “Now, it’s time to get you in bed, I’ve missed you too much.”

With a giggle, Beth put down her knitting and let Rio pull her up from the couch, with promises of better things to come.

Lyrics :Father and Son-Cat Stevens


	22. Cast of Characters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I get obsessed with my OCs and I wanted you all to see them as I do
> 
> *I own nothing

Maggie Daniels

Pria Matos

Cal Young

Benjamin "Bullet" Reynosa

Anamaria Gallegos Rivera

Luca Rivera Colmenares

Samantha Colmenares

Mariana Rivera Colmenares

Diego Romo Colmenares

Eduardo Perez Colmenares

The house with the tower ;-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my characters just playing in the sandbox


	23. What Jane Saw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane our mischievous one, too much like her mother seeking out trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to some cute fun piece but yeah plot decided to show up

Being the littlest in the family sucked, in Jane’s opinion. The babies didn’t count because they couldn’t talk yet. Marcus was just a little bit older, but he was taller, so that didn’t count either. The only good part about being littlest, is that sometimes, people didn’t notice you around.

Creeping around the bakeries was Jane’s favourite hobby, you could find out so many secret things. Like, when she caught daddy sneaking into the kitchen and he took one of the tarts. When she had asked him about it, he had told her that mommy wouldn’t mind. But later, when mommy found out, she yelled really loud. 

She had found Bullet and Pria in the walk-in fridge, kissing. Mommy and Rio didn’t find out about that for weeks. 

Then there was getting twenty dollars from Auntie Annie, after she saw something with Eddie in the van. The money was so she wouldn’t tell mommy.

The first time she realized something was weird, was going into the upstairs office playing hide and seek with Marcus. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be there; the second floor was for grownups only.

Jane found the box under the desk, she was hiding next to it, and couldn’t help but open it. Her eyes went wide seeing all the money in it. Peeking around the edge, she saw Marcus walking up the stairs, looking for her.

“Psst, Marcus!”

The little black haired boy paused, and then peered at her from the stairway.

“What are you doing in there? It’s not allowed!”

“Come here!”

Marcus looked back at her like she had lost her mind.

“Uhuh, I’m not getting in trouble for you.”

“You gotta see this! We’re rich.”

Curiosity got the better of Marcus, and he joined Jane under the desk. His eyes got even bigger after he saw all the money.

“We are rich! We should tell papi!”

Jane shook her head. “We can't. We’ll get in trouble for being in here. Let’s hide the box.”

The two children pulled the shoe box out, and snuck it upstairs and stuck it in the cupboard. 

“We can bring it home when Dante comes and gets us.” Jane suggested, as they went back down to the bakery floor for a snack, hide and seek forgotten.

A couple of days later, Jane heard mommy and Rio yelling.

“I swear, the box was under the desk, Rio.”

“I ain’t sayin’ you’re lying Elizabeth, I’m sayin’ it’s not there.”

The next time Jane was at the bakery, she carefully, and very quietly, replaced the box.

Maggie was probably the scariest person Jane knew, even scarier than Captain Marvel. Not just a woman, but anyone she knew on earth was less scary than Maggie. Still, Jane knew entirely how much Maggie loved her. The first time she was sure, Jane was sitting on the bottom step in the bakery. Mommy and Rio had gotten a loud phone call, and then they both ran out the back, telling Jane not to move an inch.

So there she sat, until she heard the backdoor open and Maggie walked in with a rocket launcher over her shoulder. Maggie froze for a second as she saw the little girl, but there was no hiding it.

“Hey Lil Bit, what are you doing here so late?”

Jane’s eyes remained fixed on the weapon. Maggie tapped her shoulder lightly to get her attention.

“Baby girl?”

“Is that a big gun?” Jane asked, eyes fixed.

Sighing, Maggie leaned the weapon against the wall, and sat down next to Jane.

“Something like that, but why don’t we keep this between you and me, huh?”

The idea of sharing a secret between just her and Maggie was too good pass up, and she nodded wildly as Maggie relaxed slightly.

“Now, do you want to tell me why you’re here by yourself, at ten o’clock at night?”

Jane gave a shrug. “They got a call and told me not to move. So, I’m sitting here until they come back.” She explained.

“Ok, well, why don’t I put this away, and I’ll text your mom and tell her I’m taking you to Ruby’s. This place is boring after it’s closed.”

Nodding in agreement, Jane waited for Maggie, who quickly got her into the car and over to Ruby’s.

  
  


Since learning that Diego was kind of like her uncle, or Tio as Marcus called him. She found herself watching the quiet man when he was around. Unlike Mick, Carlos, or any of the other guys that helped Rio at his bar or with security, he kind of stayed away from everyone. Mick was fun and would take them for pancakes, if they begged hard enough. Dante and Xi, while strict, still talked to them about safety. Xi had taught her how to throw a grownup to the ground. You know, just in case.

Diego was different, she could tell he was paying attention, but he was so tense, reminding her of a panther. Still, he came to family dinners and things, even if he left as soon as he could.

One of the things Dante was teaching her was how to be stealthy. Tio Diego was a perfect subject. Other than Carolina, he barely spoke to any of them, and she couldn't even talk yet. Diego seemed to have the ability slip in and out of a room like magic, making her wonder if he was a wizard. It’d be cool if her uncle was a wizard.

The best place to tail him was at Queen 1. So, one Saturday afternoon, she got Dante to drop her off, in the guise of learning how to make Cal’s famous bourbon maple cookies, her favourite kind. Once the cookies were in the oven, Jane went out to the cafe to see if the girls needed anything and to get a frozen frappe.

She could hear the timer go off and wandered back into the kitchen. To her surprise Cal wasn’t in the kitchen. Jane remembered how to turn off the industrial oven, and carefully cracked open the door so the cookies wouldn’t burn.. She wasn’t tall enough to be able to transfer them to the cooking racks, but at least they would still be tasty..

Now, with a challenge, Jane tried going into the stealth training Dante had shown her. First she checked the lower cellar but that was empty. She knew that Pria and Bullet enjoyed spending time in the walk-in but that too only held what it was supposed to.

Although she wasn’t supposed to leave the building, Jane slipped out the back, into the alley. Taking care to hide behind the garbage dumpster, to look around just in case. Her little mind kind of fizzled as she saw Chef Cal kissing Tio Diego, they were kissing, the same way Mommy kissed Rio. She stumbled back a little, causing the container to rattle. The two men pulled apart, and looked around. 

Jane held herself still and counted to ten. There was no way she could get back inside, if they were looking for the source of the noise. After the count, she carefully peered around the corner, but both men were gone. She took the luck she had received and slipped back inside. About five minutes later, Chef Cal came in, looking a little rumpled as he put his apron back on.

It was several days before Jane could look either one of them in the eye, and she couldn’t tell anyone. After that, Jane put her stalking on hold, although she still wanted to figure out Tio Diego.

The next time Diego came over for dinner, she watched him slip out the back and followed him.

“Why don’t you stay after dinner?” she asked as he was almost to the back gate. Diego froze, and seemed to be debating walking on. Jane watched as he took a deep breath before he turned around to face her.

“I know it makes Rio uncomfortable, if I’m around too much.” He told her with a shrug. Jane turned to look behind her; she could still see people sitting around the table.

“I don’t think so, but he makes you uncomfor-fortable. Is it because you like boys?” she asked

Diego looked around nervously, as if he was afraid someone might have heard her.

“Why do you think that lil mama?”

She looked at him and blinked, realizing he was scared. “No one would care, you know that right? Ben used to be a girl, until he knew he was a boy.” Jane told him frankly.

For a moment, Diego looked confused, and then looked back in, where people were starting to clear the table.

“I didn’t know that.” he admitted as he shuffled awkwardly. “And Rio doesn’t care?”

“No, he likes Ben, he liked Ben when Ben was Sadie. He helped him get shirts he liked and everything. This was before he and mommy lived together.”

Jane found it fascinating watching a lot of different emotions go over Diego’s face; before he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

Even as he started to talk, he didn’t know why he was telling a kid all this. “Our old man, he don’t think it's natural. That’s why I was sent here, he’s ashamed and thinks I’ll taint the business.”

Neither of them heard the backdoor open and close before Rio spoke, causing them both to jump.

“You know the old man, esta pendejo, right?”

Diego jerked back, looking up at his half brother standing on the deck.”

“He’s a lot of things.” Diego admitted. “Look man, I gotta go, but I’ll come by during the week, yeah?”

Without waiting for an answer, Diego turned and left the yard. Rio waited until he heard his car start up, before he turned to Jane.

“So lil' mama, how did you know Diego liked boys?”

Jane flushed and looked around for an escape, until she looked in Rio’s eyes, feeling pinned. Huffing she explained.

“ I saw him kissing Chef Cal at the bakery.”

“Were you spying?”

“Maybe?” she squeaked out

“Maybe.” He gave her a stern look.

“I was practicing my slealth technique like Dante taught me.” she told him with a slight lisp.

“Did he now? He’s teachin’ you stealth? I guess I ought to talk to Dante, about what he’s teaching you.” Rio said with a smirk.

“No, don’t do that. It’s important that I’m observant.” Jane argued.

“An’ why’d you want to observe Diego?”

“ Cause, he always leaves and I wanted to know why. He’s asupposed to be family. An’ he might be a wizard.”

Sighing, Rio rubbed his head and Jane noticed he did it the same way Diego had.

“He’s not a wizard lil’ bit.” he told her with a small smile. “He is however very well trained, not like you, yet. Keep workin’ with Dante, you’ll get better too. Come on, your mama has pie ready.”

Rio looked back at the gate and shook his head before following Jane inside.

After being caught, Jane stuck to her lessons with Dante and Xi. She still couldn't help but think about what Rio and Diego said, about their father. So far, nothing she had heard about this man was good.

One night when Mommy and Rio were out, she climbed onto the couch next to Ana who was watching them for the night. “Abuela? Is Rio and Diego’s papi a bad man?”

Ana rolled her eyes and crossed herself, of all the times she had expected that question, it certainly wasn’t with her step grandchild.

“Ay mija, that is a very complicated question. Eduardo is a very unique man, people can be a lot of things at once. As charming and kind as he can be, he is also ruthless and mean.”

“He said mean things to Diego, that’s why he lives here now.”

Sighing, Ana nodded. She had suspected something like that, once she had been able to confirm who Diego was when he had arrived. Oddly, she had been relieved to see that Eduardo had sent his other son to protect the family.

“I’m sure it’s more than that. Diego’s feelings were hurt, but isn’t it nice to have him here with us?”

Jane’s head bobbed up and down in agreement. “Yes, Rio says he’s not a wizard, but he still could be.”

“That’s right sweetheart, why don’t you go put your pjs on, and I’ll come read you a story.”

Watching Jane run off, Ana turned to look over her other shoulder to the dark living room. “She’s right you know. You do move like a wizard, I understand the confusion.”

Diego stepped out of the shadows, to meet her gaze. “Why didn’t you out me then?”

“Mystery is good for little girls, and makes them question the world, learn from it. Besides, isn't it nice having someone think you’re amazing?” Ana asked.

Shrugging, Diego shook his head. “You’re still protecting the old man, after everything he’s done.”

“Oh, this stuff was going on long before you were born. None of it is your fault, you were just part of the fall out, like the other kids. Did you ever think Eduardo sent you here because you are family, that if he needed one son, he’d send another for protection?”

Swearing, Diego looked in the direction Jane had run off to. “That kid is too smart, by far, Rio has his hands full.”

Laughing Ana nodded. “Yep, he has no idea what’s coming with her. He’s still getting used to baby schedules, Claudia handled everything the first time. He was just there for the fun parts.”

“Must be an experience.”

“Oh, it is, but don’t think it’s gone unnoticed you slip in and out to see them. They don’t mind, you know.”

“How can you be ok with this? How can you look at me!”

“Your father’s choices have nothing to do with you. You didn’t ask for him to cheat, you didn’t have a choice about being born and your mother always treated my kids with kindness. How could I do less for her?”

Sighing, Diego nodded, they weren’t kids anymore. Rio seemed to have let the past issues go. They really did have more to do with their father than each other.

“Those babies are so small, and so innocent, and we are all not innocent. I don’t want them hurt, they shouldn’t know what we do.”

“And, they have an army of people around them to make sure they never do. Come here, and be seen, they want to see you.”

Next family dinner, Diego showed up with Cal, no one said anything other than a smirking smile. He didn’t sneak out like he used to, but instead took Cal up to see the napping babies. Jane peeked around the corner in time to see Diego’s hand slip over Cal’s, and give it a squeeze.


	24. The Defiant ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts of one of the newer members of the family

Being sent to the United States as back up for Rio’s family had chafed. Diego and his father had been rubbing each other wrong ever since rumours of a fling had reached his father’s table.

Eduardo wouldn’t come out and say it but Diego could feel his displeasure and disappointment. As the tensions grew between the cartel and the military he knew that that violence was coming and then he learned his half brother was coming too. It burned him that his father didn’t feel that he could deal with this on his own.

Then came the real insult, Diego found himself on a plane flying to Detroit, sent to look after Rio’s family, funny money, and pill business until things were settled in Colombia. He found himself on a plane to Detroit, stewing about the favourite child.

Mick had picked him up at the airport, and they drove in silence, until they arrived at the bakery. “Yo, let me park this up front, wait here, before goin’ in.” 

Rolling his eyes, he waited until the car was out of sight, before going to bang on the back door. The very pregnant, redhead answered the door. She was polite, but clearly wary. Calling him out on his introduction.

Thankfully, Mick showed up and smoothed the ruffled feathers. So, this was Elizabeth, his brother’s chosen Queen. She wasn’t anything he had expected, soft, cozy, but there was an edge of steel in her he could respect. 

She didn’t seem impressed with him, but did review what he would be doing while he was here. Still, it was nice to have a private place to work. 

Diego couldn’t help but give the baker a once over. He looked so pure, and unaffected by this life. He was gratified to see the other man flush lightly, before they left to see the other location.

Seeing Queen 2 was a very different experience, it was busier on the floor. The Chef there, ran the kitchen like a machine, but she seemed tense. Upstairs, with Maggie, was unexpected. He had been briefed that the head of the Detroit Mafia worked with Rio, but this terrifying tiny woman was, a lot. Diego left her office, feeling like he had escaped with his life, certainly not one to trifle with.

The kid sister downstairs, on the other hand was a handful. She had a mouth on her. They hadn’t even done a run yet and she made him tired. 

Because of the haste to get him to Detroit, Diego found himself at a furnished rental apartment that had no personality. But, he figured he’d only be here for a couple of weeks, so it didn’t matter. Still, after an hour, he found himself pacing like a caged tiger.

Opening his laptop, he started a quick search before grabbing his keys and heading back out. He found himself in downtown Detroit, at a bar called Liberty Bar and Poutinerie. He had heard about Poutine and figured he might as well try it. Also, it had been listed on Yelp as one of the nicest gay bars. If he was going to be banished, he might as well see what was out there.

The place was pretty chill, and he found himself with a refreshing cocktail and a table where he could watch the crowd. When his food arrived, Diego tried the Canadian dish, surprised that he liked it. 

With a start, he went on alert as someone slipped into the booth with him.

“Thought that was you. Remember me? Cal, from the bakery.” The handsome man gave him a grin.

Diego’s hand had gone to his gun, but he slowly brought it back to the table.

“You always this jumpy?”

“You always this friendly? I saw you give me a once over back at the bakery.”

Relaxing minutely, Diego blinked.

“I’m guessing you’re ok with that then?” Diego asked, letting his gaze wash over the other man.

Cal couldn’t help but feel the heat wash over him. He reached for Diego’s glass, taking a sip from it, as he tried to keep his bearings.

Diego's eyes focused on the way Cal licked his lips, imagining other things for those lips.

“We should get out of here.” was Cal’s only response.

Grabbing his keys, Diego tossed some bills on the table and followed Cal out to the parking lot. They made it to the hallway of Diego’s apartment before he was pressing Cal up against the wall fisting his hair as he kissed him.

Cal moaned in agreement before pulling away. “Inside first, I’m not getting arrested for indecent exposure.”

Chuckling, Diego unlocked the apartment and they practically fell in. It didn’t take long for the making out on the couch, to lead to the bedroom.

The next morning, Diego rolled over to find the bed empty and shrugged it off. Things tended to be hot and fast, burning out by morning. He just hoped that Cal would be cool when he got the bakery.

Seemed he needn’t have worried. By the time he got to Queen, it was buzzing with that mid morning coffee rush. Slipping in the back he watched as Cal moved around the bakery. He headed up the stairs, and he gave the other man a nod.

Turned out Maggie did have plans for Diego. She kept him pretty busy, until it was time to do the various drops with Annie. When he came downstairs he found Cal and Annie joking around. Annie saw him first, and chinned at Cal.

“Took you long enough? I have plans after this, you know. Not all of us spend our time being tall and broody.” Annie groused, as she grabbed her bag.

Diego’s eyes met Cal’s, before he followed her out shaking his head.

The drive mostly involved Annie asking all kinds of bizarre questions, about the Cartel and Colombia. He had tried to ignore her, eventually she goaded him into at least giving her one word answers. Still, he was impressed with her driving skills, and the little tidbits of information about their contacts.

By the time he got back to the apartment, all he could do was flop on the couch. He considered going out again, but decided he’d rather order in and watch Netflix.

After eating a whole pizza, while he watched a stupid kung-fu movie. He thought about the previous night finding himself getting aroused again. Usually, a hook up was just that, a fleeting experience that he ever thought about it again.

Morning at the bakery seemed different, it was quieter when Diego walked in. Cal caught his eye as he was putting in a tart. “We’ve got pretty good coffee, if you’re interested.” Cal offered.

“Yeah, have you got a recommendation?”

“Americano, it isn’t bad if you like it bold and strong. If you or if you prefer sweeter we make lots of lattes.”

Looking around, he watched the girls out front helping customers. Diego then pulled out a stool, and sat himself down at the butcher’s block counter. “I’ll do the latte, closest to cafe con leche I can get around here.”

“You want cafe con leche? Why didn’t you say so?” Cal called out to one of the girls to make a cafe con leche. By the time she returned, Cal had also slipped a fresh hot scone in front of him. Pastry aside, it was almost like a Colombian breakfast.

“This is good, thank you.” 

“Any time, you know you don’t have to be weird about the other night. Things happen right?”

Diego hadn’t been expecting to be let off the hook so easily. He gave the other man a careful look, surprised to see the genuine look on his face. He gave him a slight bob of the head, before going back upstairs to work on orders and “meetings” he needed to take care of.

  
  


When he came back after drops the bakery was closing up. Annie was quick to say good night leaving him standing there like an idiot. Gathering his bearings he went upstairs to collect his things. 

By the time he came down stairs the bakery was closed and dark. A single light was on as he hit the main floor. To his surprise he found Cal leaning against the counter.

“Could I interest you in a drink? No strings or expectations, just a chance not to be hanging out in that boring apartment of yours.”

Hiding a smile Diego shrugged. “Sure, why not. I’m still figuring out this place, I’m sure you know the right places.

They ended up in a shadier nightclub that was dark and smokey, Diego was pretty sure it was illegal, but that wasn’t his problem. 

One drink turned into four and eventually led back to Diego’s apartment. The morning started again with Diego alone in bed staring up at the ceiling wondering how this had happened again. He was used to a casual one night stand but this repete of a one night stand was a new experience.

Not knowing what to expect at the bakery, Diego dragged his feet going in ,but when he got there he was given a smile and a cup of coffee before he went upstairs.

Somehow it just kept happening. Sometimes, it was finding lunch by his desk, other times he’d end up at the same bar as Cal. It always ended up in Diego’s apartment and he was completely confused as to what was happening.

Two weeks in as he slept Diego roused enough to feel Cal slipping out of bed. Waving his arm he caught Cal’s 

“Stay.”

Cal froze looking at the hand on his arm before rolling back into bed for a couple more hours.

This time when he woke up Cal was still sleeping. Diego carefully got out of bed and went to start coffee.

Not long after Cal padded out to the kitchen to be greeted with a cup of coffee.

“Thanks, is this going to be weird now?” Cal asked.

“Depends, I guess, what is this? I’ve never done this before.” Diego stared at his coffee clearly uncomfortable.

“Well, we enjoy each other’s company right?”

“We do..” Diego wanted to say more but his tongue felt like cement. “I’m just not sure how to do this.”

“You’ve never dated?”

Shaking his head, Diego sighed. “I’m not out. My father suspects and hates it. That’s how I ended up here.”

Cal reached for his hand. “You don’t have to be out if you don’t want to. We can do this, and just be us.”

Looking up, Diego’s eyes met Cal's. It was a relief to see calm there. He really wasn’t worried about it.

“Your family knows? You know, about your preferences.”

“Yes, my family knows I’m gay, and supports me. It’s fine being discreet though.”

Right before Thanksgiving, is when Diego started to get anxious. Things were going well with Cal, and he was feeling more comfortable. Until Beth insisted that he come for dinner. There was a steely look in her eyes that he wasn’t willing to go up against. Naturally, Cal was of no help at all.

They arrived at Beth’s together, taking care to park far enough away for anyone to realize they had driven together. Once Cal handed off his dish to the kitchen, he dragged Diego to the tv room where he managed to find a European football match on. Apparently Rio had sprung for the premier package.

Eventually, they were all called to dinner, and Diego tried not to fidget as everyone said what they were thankful for. Just seeing Anamaria at the table made his skin itch. Before they could start eating, Diego found himself face to face with Rio. 

The tension in the air made him squirm but he managed to get through the meal without bolting. It wasn’t until the table was being cleared that everything went to hell.

He didn’t know what made him talk under his breath when Rio made his shitty comment, but Rio managed to hear his response, and went off. Diego didn’t even bother to respond, just stomped out as he heard Ana calling after him.

Cal caught up with him taking his hand as they got to the car. The drive back to Diego’s apartment was quiet. He wasn’t sure when his place had become their place but Cal seemed ok with it.

In the apartment Diego walked into the kitchen and then just stood there not sure what to do. Cal came up behind him and squeezed his shoulders.

“Go sit down, I’ll make some tea and if you want we can talk about what just happened.”

Nodding, Diego flopped on the couch tipping his head back and sighed. Waiting for Cal to join him, there was a rush of feeling he didn’t want to deal with.

When Cal joined him on the couch Diego opened his eyes. Taking the mug from Cal, Diego played with the edge of it as Cal waited.

“What did he say to you?”

“Umm that his mother shouldn’t have to set eyes on me.” Diego told him as he rubbed his eyes. He felt Cal stiffen next him and looked at him from the corner of his eye.

“Well that was incredibly rude. Why would he say something like that.”

“Because our father had an affair with my mother and when they found out she was pregnant his parents got divorced.”

Cal let out a low whistle. “Not what I expected.”

“Yeah, it's a mess. Growing up we didn’t understand what had happened. Rio figured it out first when I was maybe three. Stopped coming around on vacations preferring to stay with our dad. It is what it is.”

“So if you’ve got that kind of history why would your dad send you here to watch his family?”

Shrugging Diego leaned back into the couch. “I don't know, to keep us apart? Or because he found out I like men and he doesn’t approve.”

And there was the real cusp of Diego’s issues. He felt cast out and unworthy. That his older brother had been asked to deal with the issues at home rather than trusting him.

“Well I can’t say things are settled unless you failed to let me know you’re going back to Colombia. You two need to deal with your shit.”

No more was discussed that night but the next day Rio and Beth were at the bakery and he found himself next to Beth who immediately wanted to know why he hadn’t said anything.

Having her tell him to deal with his issues with Rio didn’t help. He was tired of all these feelings. As soon as it was proper he fled the building. Cal found him taking deep breaths up against the wall.

“What happened.”

“Beth wants us to talk it out.” Diego growled.

“Well she’s not wrong but I think you two need to figure out what you’re feeling before you do that.”

Diego looked over at Cal with surprise. “What do you mean.”

“You two are mad about something that has nothing to do with you. You weren’t even born for some of it.”

Diego shut him up with a fierce kiss against the wall only pulling apart when a noise startled them.

After a couple of days things went back to normal. Rio didn’t spend a lot of time at Queen and Maggie kept him busy. Cal texted him to let him know Beth was in labour. Diego was able to admit he was curious about having a niece.

By the time they came to visit both men were surprised to see two babies instead of one. To his discomfort Diego found himself with an armful of baby who just looked up at him like she was looking into his soul.

Hearing his mother’s name come out of Beth’s mouth sent a frisson of shock go through him. If he hadn’t already been sitting he might have dropped the baby. Why would they name their little girl after his mother?

It was a lot to process and hearing Beth declare that Carolina had picked him to stay calm was unnerving. He wondered if he should call home and tell his mother about her new namesake.

When they got home Diego still felt stunned.

“So I guess he doesn’t hate you as much as you thought he did.”

“I guess not, it's so strange. I don’t know what to make of it. He seemed pretty cool about it too.”

“He’s your brother, just because you don’t know each other doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.”

Beth had managed to convince him that he should at least come to family dinners on Sunday with the promise she wouldn’t force him to stay after the meal. This was the first time Cal hadn’t joined him in the house. Diego felt conspicuous and he tried not to fidget. As soon as dinner was over he was out the door, when Jane caught him. 

For such a little thing she was far too observant. He hadn’t been aware anyone knew he was gay. Diego was even more surprised to find out that Ben was transitioning and that Rio didn’t care. Even as he absorbed what she had told him he could feel her eyes studying him.

Diego found himself telling her about what his father thought about him. It actually felt good letting it out. He startled as he heard Rio call his father a choice word but his half brother just stood there with no judgement in his eyes.

Although he still didn’t want to unpack his issues with his father and his brother, Diego found himself drawn to little Carolina. It wasn’t hard to slip in and out of the house to see her. He found him telling the babies about his mother and life in Colombia. He knew they didn’t understand but that made it better to talk without expecting a response.

As he was slipping out he heard Jane ask about his father to Ana and he couldn’t help but slip into the shadows to hear what she would say.

Surprisingly she wasn’t cruel in describing Eduardo but recognized that Diego’s feelings had been hurt. He wasn’t sure what to make of this woman who still treated everyone with respect.

Diego was so lost in thought that Ana addressing him caused him to jerk back to reality. Her answer to his question made him flush. It was odd to think that someone thought he was amazing, made him want to protect her. The idea that his father trusted him to protect his brother’s family sat strangely in his chest to be pondered at another time.

He had suspected that at least Rio knew he came and went but since he hadn’t said anything he figured it was ok. What he did not’ understand was how Ana could be so calm with him around, a reminder of her broken marriage.

Still Ana was calm, and even grateful for his mother and it soothed some of the anxiety and turmoil inside him. There was this fierceness to protect the children in this house from the world they lived in. But she assured him that together they could do that.

The next time he came over he rang the doorbell. Rio gave him a smirk as he let Cal and Diego in but didn't say anything else. Before they left Diego walked Cal up to see the sleeping babies knowing they would all be a part of this new life.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As War wraps up I'd love to write one shots of anything you would like to have expanded on.


	25. Of Sons and Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling in with new babies isn't what Marcus was hoping for when he asked for a sibling

Marcus looked down at the babies sleeping in the playpen, in the tv room. The rest of the kids had scattered after the movie, but he just couldn’t stop looking at them. All his life he had wanted a brother or sister. Now he had both, plus all of Ms Beth’s kids. It was a lot, sometimes.

When he had first learned that he was going to have a baby sister, he had been so excited. Now he wasn’t so sure. He didn’t know that babies were so much work, and with twins, even more work.

He sat down, not wanting to wake them, but he felt so confused. Getting so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t hear someone come up behind him.

Diego looked down at his nephew. He was still baffled, that he was able to say that he had a niece and nephews.

“Hey, sobrino, whatcha doin’?”

Marcus looked up with a frown still on his face. “Looking at the babies.”

Diego sat down next to Marcus, and gave him a nudge. “If you’re just looking, why do you look so mad?” he asked with a teasing grin.

Looking back into the playpen, Marcus gave a huge sigh. “I want them to be more fun. All they do is lay there, eat, or cry.”

Trying not to laugh, Diego nodded. “Well yeah, that’s how it is, in the beginning, but give them a month or so, they’ll be more interesting. By the time they're crawling, I hear they need eyes on them all the time.”

Marcus just gave another sigh. “Papi doesn’t have time for me anymore, it's just about the babies.”

Giving Marcus’ shoulder a squeeze, Diego shook his head. “That’s not true. But, they are trying to get used to a new schedule.”

“How long will that take?” Marcus asked with a slight whine. He wasn’t a baby, like Kenny liked to call him, but he wanted things back like before.

“It will take a while. What would you like to go do? Maybe your Papi will let me take you out, so I can get to know my sobrino.”

A grin crossed Marcus’ face, at the idea of individual attention. He had so many questions about Diego, but Papi had never been interested in answering them.

“We could? I like football, we could go to the park and play.”

The babies stirred a little, catching the little boy's attention. “Let’s go find Beth or your Papi, let them know we’re heading out. Maybe we’ll even get ice cream.”

Diego found their time at the park fun. It was interesting to see Marcus living the free, easy, life of a child untouched by the world the adults in his life operated in. He remembered his childhood, and the bits he had seen of Rio’s. He knew they had never lived that easy. They had been raised to run this business, to terrorize and kill. Marcus would never have to see it, if they did it right.

Marcus did have a lot of questions; what was his abuelo like, why didn’t he visit? What was Colombia like? Was Diego going back? Theoretically, Diego had been aware of how much kids talked, and questioned, but this kid was like an investigative reporter. He was very careful how he worded his answers, before assuring Marcus that he wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

After being convinced to have a bowl of ice cream, Diego brought the exhausted little boy home and helped him to his room. When he came down, he found Rio in the kitchen, poking through the fridge.

“Hey.”

Pulling his head out of the fridge, Rio looked at his half brother. “‘Ey, what’s up.”

For a couple of seconds, Diego debated saying something, or not, before he sighed. “It’s Marcus.”

Rio immediately went on alert, body tense. “What about him?”

Tensing too, Diego took a step back. “He’s feeling left out, he had a different idea of what the babies were going to be like.” he said awkwardly, already regretting bringing it up.

“You know what? Forget I said anything, I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Turning and heading to the door, Rio’s voice stopped him. “We’re not adaptin’ well. Me an’ Elizabeth. Twins are a lot more work.” It sounded like it pained him, to admit things weren’t the way he wanted them.

“Well, it’s not like you had the chance to prepare for two babies. Your expectations weren’t ready, and I imagine that these two are a handful.”

Rio pulled two beers from the fridge, handing one to Diego. “You have no idea. You get to hand them back when you’ve had enough, then go home and enjoy a good night's sleep.” he groused.

“You’re right about that. Sleep is king.” Diego laughed, as Rio side eyed him. 

“What else did Marcus say?”

“That you don’t have time for him, and that the babies aren’t fun. He’s adjusting, too.”

Rio led them out to the back porch, and took a seat. He rolled his neck, feeling some of the pressure popping out. 

“It’s been a very long two weeks. These kids are like night and day, dependin’ on the person holdin’ 'em. All the kids are cranky. Kenny is really the only one who remembers the others being babies, and he’s really not happy, but he’s tryin’.”

Diego sat on the opposite chair and sipped his beer. “Honestly, I’ve never been there, but changes are hard. Do you need me to take anything on?”

His offer made Rio absorb how tired they had been. He had been getting updates from Mick and Bullet, but it hadn’t even occurred for him to ask Diego to take more on. He probably knew more details than anyone else, about the inner workings of their father’s empire.

“Actually, yeah. If you can connect with Mick, Bullet and Aviles that would be great. You know what to do.”

“Consider it done. Have you asked Ana to come stay for a day or two? You know, she’d loved to help, but she probably doesn’t want to overstep with Christmas almost here.”

Just thinking about Christmas, made Rio groan. They weren’t ready for that either. The early birth had thrown everything out of whack. There were still presents to buy and decorations to put up, and he knew Elizabeth was going to go all out for that too.

“Man this is so messed up. I love ’em, but man, I kinda miss my quiet life.”

“Since when have you had a quiet life? Maybe an organized one, but never quiet. You and Beth are both organized; you'll pull it together, once you get your system up and running again.” 

Sighing, Rio leaned his head back against the chair. “I just want one night of sleep, so I can pull things together. I don’t know how Elizabeth is doin’ it. She hasn't lost her cool. I can tell she’s tired, but she don’t stop. I had to have Ruby ban her from the store, because she wanted to do paperwork. Who's like that?”

He couldn’t help it, but Diego laughed. “That woman is a savage, you knew that a long time ago. And this ain’t her first rodeo. You think her ex helped her after she gave birth the other 4 times? I think if she thought about stopping, she’d collapse. You know, you’ve got to slow her down. So what will stump her?”

Rio thought about it, and nodded. “Maggie, and maybe my mom will make her listen. Ruby and Annie, she can bowl over.”

“So contact Maggie and Ana, they’ll deal with her, you focus on the bigger kids. Take a night off. Why don’t you crash at my place, and Cal and I can come over and help here?”

“You’d do that?”

“It’s no big deal, maybe take Marcus? Have some one on one time?”

“That’s not a bad idea, I’ll talk to Elizabeth and see how she feels about it, yeah?”

Diego nodded, “Just let us know when. Don’t worry about the rest, I got that covered yeah?”

Taking another sip, Rio nodded back. “Yeah…thanks for that.” As they fell into a comfortable silence drinking beer, on the cold December night.

“Do you ever think about us being normal?” Diego’s question came out of nowhere.

“ ‘Spose it depends, on what you think is normal.”

Giving his brother a look, he snorted. “You ever consider putting a gun in Marcus’ hand?”

Rio's face clouded over, as he glared at Diego. “Of course not, who you do think I am?”

“That’s my point. At his age, we were used to gunfire. Eduardo had a gun in my hand by the time I was eight, and I can’t imagine you were much different.”

Huffing, Rio looked away. “Nah, I don’t think about what can’t be. Don’t know who I’d be, if things had been different. Luca is the only living a normalish life, but he’d be back in, if he had to.”

“Yea, how’d he get so lucky?”

Rio shrugged, taking another swig of his beer. “He ain’t cut out for this life. Eduardo thought he was soft, and could beat him into being tougher. You know my ma wouldn’t stand for that. She might be the only one Eduardo is scared of. Apparently, she held a knife to his balls when she found out. She swore if he touched another one of her kids, she’d fix him herself.”

Diego flinched at the visual. “You for real?”

“My ma wasn’t like yours. You got the sweet, village girl mother who made the best flan. I have the Mexican cartel’s daughter, she was brought up as fierce as us, and twice as ruthless.”

  
  


It wasn’t actually hard to see Ana as this avenging mother. She had a look in her eye that would make anyone second guess their actions.

“You know, Eduardo is as cold as a snake, but ma, she was somethin’ else back then, not genteel like she is now.”

Rio couldn’t help but chuckle, at the memories of what his mother used to be like. “I saw him raise his hand to her once, and she looked at him unfazed. She was like, be real sure you want to do this and are prepared to deal with the consequences. First time I ever saw the old man back down. Taught me women could be strong too.”

“That’s why you’re with a ferocious mama, then?”

Rio gave him a dead eyed stare, but Diego could still make out his ears turning pink.

“She can handle herself, even if her mouth gets her into trouble.” He grumbled, looking out to the back yard.

Finishing up his beer, Diego put his empty bottle into the recycling bin, by the back door. “I’m gonna head out, but I’ll keep you in the loop, and you tell me when you need a night off, ok?”

Rio gave his half brother a nod, before closing his eyes, he could hear a baby crying, and then his brief reprieve was over. Finishing his beer, he stood up tossing the bottle into the bin, before walking back inside. Already he could hear the babies being soothed. Rolling his neck, he felt some of the pressure release. It was like knowing he could take a break, gave him the energy to head back into the fray. As he entered the nursery, Rio gave Elizabeth a smile, as he offered to take Nico off her hands with a bottle.

“Are you ok?” she asked, brow furrowed.

“Don’t worry about mami, everythings just fine. Growin’ pains is all. We’ll get organized soon, once we have the hang of it.”

Beth looked at Rio like he had grown another head, and laughed. “I think I've been telling you this for days. This is normal, babies always upset everything for a little bit. We’ll be fine, but I’m glad you know now too.” She gave him a light kiss. Going back to the bedroom, to catch a few more minutes of sleep, while she could.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Goldfishange, DropkickDisco and HereLiesBethBoland for reviewing


End file.
